ABSTRACT
Cassava (Manihotesculenta Crantz) is used in various applications and recipes worldwide. The natural fermentation of this root flour produces the "puba", a typical food from the north of Brazil. The evaluation of the qualities of the puba flour is little explored, thus, this study aimed to evaluate the pH (of the fermentation liquid), the texture of cassava pieces after a fermentation process, puba flour instrumental color parameters and its thermal and pasting properties. The pH and the force decreased with the incubation time. Puba flour from 3 to 7 days had the highest lightness, being good for food application. "a" and "b" values showed that the roots tended to a light blueish green due to post-harvest degradation and fermentation. The results of DSC analyses demonstrated that there was no significant difference in the gelatinization initial temperature between days 1-7, as well, no significant changes were observed in gelatinization peak temperature, conclusion temperature and gelatinization enthalpy. For the paste properties, the viscosity peak and breakdown slightly increased, and no significant changes as observed in final viscosity, setback and paste temperature on the days of fermentation. Therefore, the fermentation conditions (size of the pieces), the microorganisms (intrinsic of the material), and the time of seven days was not enough to promote drastic changes in the granules of cassava starch.
