Browsing by Author "Ansah, Kwadwo Owusu"

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    Evaluation of Some Quality Attributes of Cassava Accessions at Varying Maturity
    (JUNE, 2018) Ansah, Kwadwo Owusu
    Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is a root crop which has been used widely in the production of many products and also as an important source of starch on a global proportion. The aim of this work was to investigate the characteristics of starch from new cassava accessions at different stages of maturity. Three new cassava accessions ( Abrabopa, Amansen and Duadekpakpa) were harvested at four consecutive months (from April – July 2017; 7-10th month) after planting. Starch was extracted from these cassava accessions using the conventional method of starch extraction and their yield calculated. The amylose content and presence were determined by means of spectrophotometry whereas pasting properties of the starches were analyzed using Rapid Visco Analyzer. Average starch yield ranged from 18-29% and was at its highest yield in the 10th month for all the accessions studied. There were no significant differences (p >0.05) in the peak viscosity, final viscosity, peak time and pasting temperature but significant difference was recorded for setback, trough and breakdown of the starch samples. The amylose (14-25%) and amylopectin (76-85%) content of the varieties differed significantly (p <0.05). The results show that maturity affects the starch yield, composition and pasting properties of the new cassava accessions and this should be considered in deciding the time to harvest each accession for specific food and non-food industrial applications.