Abstract
The influence of some physical properties of cassava tubers on the mechanical compressive cracking force of TMS 30572 and TMS 4(2)1425 cassava varieties were investigated. 1200 tubers were freshly harvested from the Teaching and Research Farm of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Each of the cassava cultivars was about 1.5 years old. The tubers were cleaned and sliced into different lengths ranging from 25 – 150 mm in steps of 25 mm. Slices of a particular length were sorted into 8 diameter groups: 21 – 30, 31 – 40, 41 – 50, 51 – 60, 61 – 70, 71 – 80, 81 – 90, and 91 – 100 mm, for each variety. The compressive cracking force of the sliced tubers was determined using an adapted Tensometer. The mechanical compressive cracking force required to break the tubers of the two cassava varieties (TMS 30572 and TMS 4(2)1425) increases with increase in length and peel thickness of tubers while it decreases with increase in diameter of tubers. Thus, these physical properties must be given a serious attention in the design and development of cassava peeling machine.
Highlights
Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is gaining wider acceptance and adoption as wonder crop by the day in developing economies of the world
Nigeria is reported to be the highest producer of the crop in the world with production level estimated at 49 million tons per year [1]
Fresh cassava tubers were harvested from the teaching and research farm of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
Summary
Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is gaining wider acceptance and adoption as wonder crop by the day in developing economies of the world. Cassava has been primarily produced for food as it is consumed on daily basis, its importance as a major cheap source of calorie intake for both human and livestock in many tropical countries has been widely acknowledged It is mostly processed traditionally into gari, lafun, fufu, abacha and akpu in Nigeria, kokonte and agbelima in Ghana [2] while the sweet varieties are boiled and pounded into dough and consumed with vegetable soup. There are many varieties of cassava in the world today which are differentiated from one another by their botanical characteristic and the level of hydrocyanic acid that causes toxicity in the root This toxicity vary from place to place (a bitter variety may become sweet or vice versa). Soil factors influence shape and size of the tuber which constitutes major bottleneck in cassava peeling [5]
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