Microbial Fermentation as Means of Improving Cassava Production in Indonesia

Abstract

Cassava is one of the pivotal carbohydrate sources for millions of people in Indonesia. Its production up to 20 million ton a year made this country to become the third most prominent producer of cassava. However, cassava is often considered as food sources for marginal people. The majority of individuals still depend on rice and wheat flour for carbohydrate intake. Unfortunately, the elevating consumption of those sources is an imbalance with its products nationally. Both use of rice product and wheat flour is more than 8.5 kg/capita/year. The critical fact is that Indonesia is one of the biggest countries in rice production globally. However, it is also one of the largest, rice importers. Another hand, the existence of wheat flour is the result of imports from other countries and always increasing every year. The Indonesian government has contributed actively to resuscitate local foods including the cassava. There are numerous strategies that have been applied to substitute the wheat flour, however, the characteristic was always far different from its flour. Mocaf is the recent trend for Indonesian food industry. It is free of gluten and can easily substitute with wheat flour to produce several types of wheat-dependent-products.

Cassava flour production by small scale processors, its quality and economic feasibility

“…The total cyanogen in cassava roots increased when grown in low rainfall or drought stress condition (Cardoso et al, 2005;Ndubuisi & Chidiebere, 2018). This suggests that the cultivar, harvesting time and environmental conditions influence HCN content in fresh cassava roots (Frediansyah, 2017). A higher HCN content is reported for Malang 4 variety (116.37 ppm) (Ariani et al, 2017).…”

Food safety and quality considerations for cassava, a major staple containing a natural toxicant

“…Urbanization creates demand for cheaper sources of calories. More and more research on cassava processing and fortification for use in confectionery, bread and other industries are being explored in some developing countries, with examples being Mozambique (Tivana, 2012), Indonesia (Frediansyah, 2017) and Jamaica where cassava is being prized for its role in producing gluten-free baked products (The Gleaner, 2019), as well as its expanding role as a replacement for hops in the making of Red Stripe Beer (Serju, 2018). In Indonesia as well, the role of cassava in the expanded production of gluten-free flour is of great significance for the future growth of domestic consumption.…”

The Microbiome of Cassava (Manihot esculanta)

“…Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is an herbaceous perennial plant native to South America that is a member of the Euphorbiaceae family [9]. It is widely grown in tropical and subtropical regions [10].…”

“…Cassava was grown on a global scale of up to 201 million hectares in 2017, with Africa accounting for more than 60% of the total [11]. Furthermore, Nigeria was the largest producer of cassava, followed by Thailand and Indonesia [9,11]. Cassava's tuberous roots contain an unexpected amount of starch, making it an extremely valuable food source, particularly in developing countries.…”

“…As a result, cassava has developed into a staple food for roughly 800 million people worldwide [11]. Crop management and fertilization [12], food process development and fermentation [9,[13][14][15][16][17], component functional status [18], cassava disease [19,20], and raw material and product quality control [21,22], are just a few of the cassava-related studies published worldwide.…”