The importance of root and tuber crops as staple foods is because of their particular agronomic

advantages :

 they are well adapted to diverse soil and environmental conditions and a wide variety of
farming systems

 they are highly efficient of edible carbohydrates when compared to other food crops

General characteristics of roots & tubers compared with cereals (FAO, 1983)

Cereals Roots and tubers

Low moisture content, typically 10% to High moisture content, typically

15% 70% to 80%

Small unit size, typically less than 1 Large unit size, typically 100 gram
gram to 15 kg

Very low respiration rate with very low High respiration rate
generation of heat

Hard texture Soft texture, easily bruised

Stable, natural shelf life is several years Perishable, natural shelf life is a
few days to few months

Losses usually caused by moulds, Losses usually caused by rotting

insects and rodents (bacteria and fungi), senescence,
sprouting and bruising

The periderm. Comprises the outermost layer of the root. It is composed mostly of dead cork cells,
which seal the surface of the root. The periderm is only a few layers of cells thick and as the root
continues to increase in diameter, the outermost portions of it are sloughed off and replaced by new
cork formations from the inside layers of the periderm.

The cortex. A layer 1 to 2 mm thick located immediately beneath the periderm.

The starchy flesh. The central portion of the root, consisting mainly of parenchyma cells packed with
starch grains.

• A mature cassava root may be anything from 15 to 100 cm in length and from 0.5 to 2.0 kg in
weight, subject to variety and growing conditions. The root is circular in cross section.
Moisture and energy content, and nutrient density (per 100 kcal) of major tuber crops (raw) (USDA,
2014)

Anti Nutrient

The cassava root produce cyanide (HCN) in toxic quantities. It occurs as two related cyanogenic
glucosides (CG): Linamarin (93%) and lotaustralin. At high concentration, cyanide can cause death;
for human, the lethal dose of HCN range between 0,5 and 3,5 mg/kg of body weight.

All varieties contain CGs and cultivars are classified as sweet (less than 100 mg of total CGs per kg of
fresh peeled roots) and bitter more than 100 mg of CGs.

Another anti-nutrient compound: phytate. Phytic acid has the potential to bind calcium, zinc, iron
and other minerals.

WHO has set the safe level of cyanogens in cassava flour at 10 ppm (FAO/WHO, 1991), and the
acceptable limit in Indonesia is 40 ppm (Damardjati et al., 1993; Djazuli and Bradbury, 1999).

Consumption of cassava and its products that contain large amounts of cyanogens may cause
cyanide poisoning with symptoms of vomiting, nausea, dizziness, stomach pains, weakness,
headache and diarrhoea and occasionally death.

Utilization of Cassava

Industrial processing aims mostly at extracting cassava starch. Starch represent between 70 and 85
of the root and is easily extractable because cassava roots contain low levels of fat and protein.

Fresh root

washed

peeled

Grated through a perforated steel plate

The pulp is then washed with water by hand and the fiber is squeezed out
while the starchy milk is collected into a container where it settles

The supernatant is removed and the moist starch is dried on trays

In some other place,The starchy milk is trapped in clothes and hung so it drains,
before it is sun dried

pati
Edible Film

made from starch is increasingly popular among responsible consumers. The process involves mixing
and blending starch with synthetic polymers and stabilizing, gelatinizing and plasticizing agents.

Storage Method

Several techniques have been described for preserving harvested roots buried in sand or in the soil
for 1 or 2 months without noticeable deterioration. These involve the harvest of undamaged
bunches with a portion of the main stem and the preparation of pits under shade (Ravi et al., 1996).

In India and South-East Asia, cassava roots can also be stored in clamps built by laying a round bed of
paddy straw or dried grass approximately 1.5 m diameter and 15 cm thick. A heap of 300–500 kg
fresh roots is then piled on it in a conical shape and covered with straw and a thick layer (15 cm) of
soil, which is collected around the clamp while digging. These simple clamps, often built in the field,
are known to preserve roots for as long as 2 months, although ventilators made of bamboos or
fibres may be necessary in the hot season. Wire netting has to be placed around the clamps to
prevent rodent attack.

Cassava roots can also be preserved in polyethylene films for up to 3 weeks with microbial and
fungicide treatments. One limitation, however, is the high cost of polyethylene bags and fungicide.
Without fungicide and using simple woven bags, storage can last 7–10 days.

Roots dipped in ordinary paraffin wax during 45 s at 90–95°C can be stored for 1 month, and this is
now adopted commercially.

Sorting

Good quality cassava should be smooth, firm, fairly straight, and uniform in shape and size. In
addition, the roots should be free from mechanical damage, decay. The pulp should be a uniform
white or light yellow, depending on the cultivar. Grades are based on freedom from defects, size,
shape and uniformity. Export markets typically prefer large sized roots, between 15 cm to 25 cm in
length (6 in to 10 in).

Chemical Component

can be promoted to alleviate vitamin A deficiency.

Storage Method

Sweet potatoes are often consumed within 2-3 weeks without storing. However, storage often
becomes necessary to extend availability of fresh roots throughout the year in some
areas/circumstances where production is essentially seasonal.

stored at temperatures between 12 and 15 oC at 85 to 95% relative humidity (RH) without loss of
quality for up to one year (Woolfe, 1992; Ravi et al., 1996).

Several treatments including blanching, antimicrobial agents (chlorine), anti-browning substances

(citric acid, ascorbic acid and sulfite) and modified atmospheric package (MAP) showed that freshly
cut sweet potatoes can be stored up to two weeks under refrigerated conditions without significant
changes in quality (McConnell et al., 2000; Erturk and Picha 2002; Cobo et al., 2003).
MAP: 5% O2, 4% CO2 and 91% N2.

Physical Characteristic

Taro are usually round or slightly elongated.

Taro consist of 3 main parts: the skin, the cortex and the core (the central part). The skin is covered
by a thick periderm that consists mainly of phellem (cork cells) are arranged in compact radial rows.
Three regions of phellem can be distinguished: an outer region of 2–3 cell layers, which are brown in
colour; a middle region of 5–10 cell layers; and an inner region of 10–15 cell layers. The cortex
consists of parenchymatic tissue characterised by intercellular spaces.

The cells of the core are larger, with thinner cell walls than those of the cortex and smaller
intercellular spaces.

Taro chemical

Proximate composition of taro per 100 g edible portion of fresh taro (Kumoro et. al., 2013)

 Anti-nutrient
 acridity
 reducing the bioavailability of essential minerals such as calcium
 (more commonly) chronic poisoning in which calcium oxalate crystals are deposited in the
kidneys, resulting in renal disorder.
 acute poisoning, resulting in hypocalcaemia after ingestion of high levels of soluble oxalates.

Boiling
Soaking
Fermentation
Baking