Culinary quality assessment and postharvest deterioration of cassava ethno-varieties cultivated in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil

Abstract

Cooking time, quality after cooking and postharvest deterioration are important characteristics in the selection of a cassava ethnovariety, both for consumption in the fresh form and for industrial processing.  The objective of this research was to evaluate the culinary characteristics and postharvest deterioration of cassava ethno-varieties cultivated in the state of Mato Grosso, and thus select materials with the most desirable qualities for cultivation and commercialization. This study consisted of the evaluation of 39 cassava ethno-varieties in regards to culinary characteristics. The postharvest deterioration analysis was performed during 20 days. Among the 39 ethno-varieties studied, 31 were deemed easy to peel and eight difficult to peel. Only two ethno-varieties had short cooking times (25 and 27 minutes). Among the two ethno-varieties that stood out in the culinary analysis, AF23 was the one with the longest time before onset of deterioration. Most of the ethno-varieties studied presented root periderm color as being dark brown (21), white/cream cortex color (24) and white root pulp (27). The results indicate that there is a variation in the cooking time, which strongly influences the quality of the cooked mass, and that ethno-variety AF23 has desirable characteristics for consumption and commercialization of its roots.