|
Processing and production factors
Supply of cassava roots
Most starch factories buy cassava roots from growers in their
neighborhood, directly or through agents. Some factories have
own their cassava plantations. Modern processing plants usually
contract various growers in the area to supply roots. In such
situations, the factory should give financial and technical
assistance to the growers, and an agronomist should be assigned
to help producers develop better production practices and
to conduct control experiments for determining the proper
varieties, fertilizers, and methods of insect and disease
control for the area.
In many countries, prices are set on the basis of a certain
starch content, with a discount or a premium for deviations
from that level, which is determined according to the locality
and the varieties. The starch content in the tubers is determined
subjectively by the factory's representative, or objectively
by chemical analysis. Subjective evaluation is done by selecting
a medium-sized root and snapping it in two. If the tuber snaps
with medium force, the crop is generally regarded as mature
and the flesh will appear firm, white and dry. Such roots
are considered to have the maximum starch content of 30 percent.
Low starch flesh from immature tubers is usually slightly
yellow and, although firm, has a translucent watery core.
If considerable force is required to snap the tuber, it is
considered to have become woody, and the crop to have passed
its prime.
Chemical analysis of the tubers is a truer method for the
determination of starch content, but it requires a laboratory
and qualified technicians.
In most cases, root weight is estimated at the farm by simple
means which are not entirely accurate and consequently do
not reflect the exact yield. It is therefore advisable to
have special weighing bridges in the factories for recording
the weights of the roots as well as the final products.
| Production
of tapioca |
 |
|
