ABSTRACT
Manihot esculenta commonly called cassava, umangra in Manipur (a South Asian region that belongs to India), is the third largest source of food carbohydrates in the tropics, after rice and maize. Cassava resists to drought, low-fertility soil, pest, and can adapt marginal land with less maintenance of irrigation. The physicochemical and functional properties of dry chips flour (DCF) and fermented cassava flour (FCF) were studied. Microwave-assisted extraction of pectin was employed for pectin-yield estimation. Functional properties, namely, swelling power (SP), solubility, pasting, color, water, and oil-holding capacities and in addition thermal and structural properties were investigated. The results revealed highest SP 11.41 g/g in FCF and highest solubility 6.04% in DCF. Fermentation decreased the total cyanide content. Total cyanide content of FCF was found within the safe limit of World Health Organization. Fermentation improved the physicochemical and functional properties of cassava flour suitable for food applications; however, flour color was found less desirable due to less lightness in color. Cassava is a sustainable, cheap food source of carbohydrate and can substitute for traditional staple food of wheat and rice in Manipur. The findings can be used in various foods and feed industries.
