ABSTRACT
One of the major constraints in the utilization of cassava is the rapid perishability of the tubers after harvest. Biochemical changes and microbial infestation spoil the tubers and make them unfit for consumption. This very often poses problems as the transportation over very long distances to the processing sites leads to the deterioration in the quality of the tubers. The changes in the total phenol and titrable acidity during the postharvest storage of cassava seem to have a close association with the vascular-streaking phenomenon. For all the varieties tried, the vascular-streaking appeared during the 2nd or 3rd day of storage. Many techniques have been reported to store cassava in its fresh state. In West Africa and in India surplus tubers are sometimes piled into heaps and watered daily to keep them fresh or coated with a paste of earth or mud which can preserve their freshness for periods of 4 to 6 days.
