Possible minimal post-processing losses of pro-vitamin A and ascorbic acid in short-term stored wholesome cassava flour
Outlines results from cassava flour samples
Abstract
Wholesome cassava flour samples produced from freshly harvested tuberous roots of two white fleshed cassava varieties (TME 419 and TMS 30572) and a yellow fleshed variety (UMUCASS 38) and stored in sealed black polyethylene bags (each containing about a 200g sample) at ambient room temperature (26-32oC) were used to determine possible post-processing losses on their ascorbic acid(vitamin C), carotene(pro-vitamin A) and cyanide contents. Results showed that the experimental fresh flour samples from the white fleshed varieties had 8.00-8.13mg/100g ascorbic acid, 0.53-1.13µg/g carotene and 4.65-4.74mg/kg cyanide contents while the yellow fleshed cassava flour had 9.73mg/100g ascorbic acid, 14.35µg/g carotene and 5.75mg/kg cyanide contents. Four weeks storage of the flour samples under dark conditions gave no significant decrease (P=0.05) in the carotene content of all the experimental samples. Minimal significant (P=0.05) reductions were observed only in the ascorbic acid content of the yellow cassava (UMUCASS 38) sample (9.73mg/100g to 6.67 mg/100g). The variation in the cyanide content of all the varietal samples (4.65-5.75 mg/kg to 3.03-4.92 mg/kg) were also minimally significant (P=0.05) after four weeks of storage. These experimental wholesome dry flour samples maintained near stable packed bulk density (0.63-0.67g/cm3) and swelling index (1.25-1.41) throughout the storage period of four weeks.
Citation
Ukpabi, U.J.; Obasi, S.C.; Okporie, P.J.; Egesi, C. Possible minimal post-processing losses of pro-vitamin A and ascorbic acid in short-term storedwholesome cassava flour. American Journal of Food Science and Nutrition (2014) 1 (1) 12-27.