Contribution to an adaptation of a technique of amilose determination in cassava roots to be used in the field work - Part I

Abstract

The aim of this study was to standardize and to adapt a traditional laboratorial colorimetric method for amylose determination and, later, the elaboration of color scales that would make a qualitative and semi- quantitative determination of amylose-amylopectin concentrations in cassava roots possible, during the field work, for selection after the crop. The experiments have been carried out in the EMBRAPA'S Laboratory of Food Science and Technology (Cassava and Fruit Culture) by using as reference the International Organization for Standardization recommended method. An amylose- amylopectin curve pattern was plotted with nineteen points and, later, a corresponding SCALE OF COLOR based on the PANTONE scale values. Two other color scales were elaborated starting from the curve pattern scale color: one of them according to low, medium and high concentrations and another one related to the average values of the amylose concentration. The spectral- photometric and sensorial analyses were carried out with six varieties of cassava roots at the Banco Ativo de Germoplasma da Embrapa Mandioca e Fruticultura (Embrapa's Active Bank of Germ plasm - Cassava and Fruit Culture).