Textural changes during cooking of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) roots

Consumer acceptability of cassava food products depends mostly on the final texture of the cooked tissue. The age of the roots at harvest seems to be an important factor in determining the final texture. Two cassava cultivars harvested at 8, 17 and 30 months after planting were used for texture loss determination by a puncture test after cooking at constant boiling water temperature. Kinetic data were analysed using fractional conversion. The raw tissue showed decreasing or constant peak yield force values as the root aged. There was a gradual first-order softening during cooking, with decreasing rate constant as the root aged.