Study on the effect of processing methods and storage conditions on starch functional properties and pectin content in cassava roots

This study investigates the effects of processing methods on pectin content and starch functional properties. To do so, 8 different cassava genotypes harvested on Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT, Palmira, Colombia) in 2023 were subjected to different treatments. First of all, samples were peeled and then cut into pieces that were directly dried by two different methods: freeze-drying and oven-drying. Other samples from the same roots were cut into pieces, grounded and then dried using the aforementioned methods resulting in four different types of samples: Oven-dried cubes (OC), oven-dried grated samples (OG), Freeze-dried cubes (FC) and Freeze-dried grated samples (FG). After that, all samples were milled to obtain flours that where therefore stored at -20°C and -80°C in order to determine the pectin content at different times of storage (0, 15, 30, 60, 90 and 120 days). Findings from this study may provide valuable insights in order to determine the best cassava processing for determining physicochemical properties without significantly affecting their compounds. The selected processing could be then implemented for determination of postharvest quality of cassava in the frame of RTB Breeding project.