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Production of tapioca
Processing and production factors
Separation of starch granules from the tuber in as pure a
form as possible is essential in the manufacture of cassava
flour. The granules are locked in cells together with all
the other constituents of the cytoplasm (proteins, soluble
carbohydrates, fats and so on), which can only be removed
by a purification process in the watery phase. Processing
the starch can therefore be divided into the following stages:
1. Preparation and extraction. Crushing of the cells and separation
of the granules from other insoluble matter (i.e. adhering
dirt and cell-wall material), including the preparatory operations
of washing and peeling the roots, rasping them and straining
the pulp with the addition of water.
2. Purification. Substitution of pure water for the aqueous
solution surrounding the starch granules in the mash obtained
in the first stage, as well as the operations of sedimentation
and the washing of the starch in tanks and on flour tables,
silting, centrifuging, etc.
3. Removal of water by centrifuging and drying.
4. Finishing, grinding, bolting and other finishing operations.
This method of processing is essential in the preparation
of any kind of starch. For cassava, however, because of the
relatively small amount of secondary substances, the separation
at each stage is performed with great ease. Whereas with maize
and other cereals the grinding of the seed and the mechanical
separation of the germ and the pericarp from the grain present
special problems in stage 1, and the separation of protein
and other constituents in stage 2 can only be accomplished
with the aid of chemicals, these operations can be reduced
to a minimum in cassava preparation. It is indeed possible
to obtain a first-rate flour from the cassava root without
special equipment by using only pure water. This makes the
processing of cassava flour particularly suitable for rural
industries.
Example of cassava starch manufacturing process
| Production
of tapioca |
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