Page 82 - Winter2017

fermenting the cassava pulp, and then amending and produce a moisture content that is low enough to prevent further
the result by adding various ingredients such microbial growth after packaging and subsequent storage. Use of proper
as palm oil, vegetable sauce, sugar, coconut, processing, drying and monitoring techniques also substantially reduces
roasted groundnuts, dry fish or boiled cowpea cyanide-based toxins, making it possible to produce cassava flour with
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(a leguminous seed). 13 cyanide levels well under the food industry standard for cassava flour of
ten parts per million (ppm). 17
MODERN CASSAVA FLOUR
Grain-free enthusiasts have promoted BENEFITS OF CONSUMING CASSAVA
cassava flour as the “holy grail” of grain-free Cassava provides complex carbohydrates suitable for many who have
flours because of its ability to substitute in many trouble digesting other carbohydrates such as rice, quinoa or potatoes.
recipes for wheat flour. Production of cassava Cassava also contains significant amounts of calcium, phosphorus and
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flour entails peeling, dehydrating and grinding vitamin C. On the other hand, cassava root does not provide any protein
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the whole root. However, the manufacture of or fat, and populations that are overly reliant on cassava as a primary
a high-quality cassava flour, “while simple in food staple can end up nutrient-deficient. In contrast to the root, cas-
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principle…requires great care.” This is because sava’s leaves are high in protein and particularly the amino acid lysine,
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cassava presents some unique challenges. although they must be well cooked to dissipate the hydrocyanic acid
On a small household scale, sun-drying and content. A culinary use in Sierra Leone involves extensively pounding
fermenting cassava is a time-honored traditional and shredding the cassava leaves, rinsing them many times to remove
practice that has obvious benefits in terms of the bitter flavor and using them to cook palaver sauce. In locations such
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reducing antinutrient levels. For commercial as Guyana, a process that involves boiling and then slowly simmering
cassava flours produced on a larger scale, how- bitter cassava root sap creates a thick, spiced syrup called cassareep; the
ever, fermenting cassava in the sun is difficult to cooking eliminates the poisonous cyanide compounds. 21
control and can pose several safety risks. First, Many individuals and researchers are interested in cassava’s resistant
if the sun is not out or the outside temperature is starch content. Resistant starch is a prebiotic that remains undigested
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not high enough and the material does not dry out (i.e., “resistant”) in the small intestine and then feeds microflora when
sufficiently, the cassava flour may retain a mois- it ends up in the colon. Its fermentation in the colon helps to provide a
ture content that exceeds safe limits. Microbial healthy inner ecosystem through the production of a beneficial short-
growth will thrive in the moisture, increasing the chain fatty acid called butyrate, which induces differentiation of colonic
risk of mold and other undesirable microorgan- regulatory T-cells. T-cells are responsible for creating healthy immune
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isms. When allowed to sit for too long, cassava responses and reducing inflammation. With age, humans produce fewer
quickly grows Aspergillus flavus, a mold that T-cells, making it helpful to take in more prebiotic foods. It is common
produces toxic and carcinogenic aflatoxins. It to observe improvement with issues such as constipation after increasing
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is important, therefore, to promptly harvest and one’s intake of resistant starch.
process young cassava roots and pay attention to Heating and cooling cassava flour or root ensures that the cassava
drying parameters and moisture content. Even is safe to consume and also catalyzes production of cassava’s resistant
with adequate monitoring of moisture content, starch. (The tapioca starch extracted from cassava root does not contain
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sun-drying cassava can expose it to inadvertent high amounts of resistant starch, however.) All high-quality brands of
contamination with unwanted microorganisms cassava flour will have already heated and cooled their cassava, which
or debris that can escape visual inspection. In means the resistant starch is already present. Thus, any recipe that uses
addition, overly prolonged sun-drying can alter cassava flour will provide resistant starch.
the chemistry of the starches in the flour.
The safest (from a mold standpoint) modern- PHYTIC ACID CONTENT OF CASSAVA
day alternative to fermenting in the sun is to Cassava has a high phytic acid content compared to other roots such as
oven-dry the cassava and minimize storage time potatoes and sweet potatoes, with phytate levels measured at 0.133 percent
after harvesting. Ensuring a short storage time of the fresh weight of the cassava root. Phytates inhibit the absorption
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between harvest, followed by thorough wash- of minerals and other nutrients. Cooking and/or fermenting cassava root
ing, peeling and moderate heat application can reduces its phytate content considerably. One study measured the phy-
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drastically reduce mold risks. Industrial drying tate levels in various traditional Ghanaian dishes, including a dish called
ovens and appropriate drying times can reduce konkonte prepared from fermented cassava. Although phytate levels
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the microbial presence to safe or negligible levels were high in some of the other dishes, the investigators detected zero

82 Wise Traditions WINTER 2017