Flour, starch and composite breadmaking quality of various cassava clones

Abstract

Bread was made using a straight-dough baking process from a local soft wheat flour partially substituted at four levels with flour from nine different cassava (Manihot esculenta, Crantz) clones. The physicochemical properties of the blended flouts, including starch quality, were determined and related to dough rheology, bread volume and crumb characteristics. Breadmaking quality at substitution levels of 100 and 200 g kg⁻¹ of mixed flour was reliably predicted from the cassava flour diastatic activity only. Flours with relatively high diastatic activities, ie above ∼ 145 mg of maltose, had deleterious breadmaking effects. Baking absorption effects were more critical at substitution levels of 300 and 400 g kg⁻¹. Cassava flour diastatic activity was highly dependent on the moisture contents of the respective tuberous roots, and affected the extent of starch gelatinisation in the breadcrumbs.