Utilization of fresh cassava and sweet potato pulps in baking

Abstract

Cassava and Sweet Potato fresh pulps were characterized for their physico‐chemical properties and were tested in cake making with the addition of little or no wheat flour. The pulps consisted of water (64.3, 69.13), starch (21.18, 18.57), sugars (6.08, 7.14) and ash (0.72, 0.62)% respectively. They had less than 2% of either crude protein or fibre. Baking reduced the hydrocyanic acid in cassava pulp from 38.26 to 17.15 mg/kg. Sweet potato had none. Gelatinization and cake quality were influenced by the type and quantity of starch present. Pulpy recipes required less sugar, shortening, eggs and baking powder; producing cheaper cakes of acceptable eating quality, but of lower organoleptic preference than wheat flour cakes. Blanching instead of sulphiting sweet potato pulp to control enzymatic browning produced inferior cakes. Adjustment of pulp pH to 4.0 with acetic acid was necessary to increase cake shelf life to at least 5 days, thus affording commercial feasibility to the new technique.