Morphological characteristics and culinary quality of cassava ethnovarieties at different harvesting times

Abstract Cassava roots are rich in carbohydrates and widely consumed throughout the world. The objective of this study was to evaluate the morphological and culinary characteristics of four cassava ethnovarieties (Cacau branca, Cacau roxa, Cacau amarela and Mandioca pão) at different harvesting times. The characteristics evaluated were: root shape, peel colour, epidermis texture, cortex colour, pulp colour, removal of the peel and cortex, cooking time, standard cooked mass and post-harvest root deterioration. The ethnovarieties exhibited phenotypic variation of the morphological characteristics. Cacau branca and Cacau roxa were easy to peel in the first three harvesting seasons. The cooking time ranged from 'good' to 'bad' amongst the ethnovarieties, Cacau roxa showing the shortest cooking time (15 min) in the sixth month and Cacau amarela showing the longest cooking time (35 min) in the tenth and twelfth months of harvest. Cacau branca and Cacau roxa showed high average values for cooked mass, showing that they were more suitable for use as table cassava. As for the cooking time and cooked mass quality, the roots of the four ethnovarieties, harvested in the six and eight months after planting, were ideal for table consumption. The cooking time increased according to the permanence of the plants in the field. The Cacau amarela and Mandioca pão ethnovarieties were the most suitable for commercial crops because they showed lower susceptibility to deterioration in all harvest seasons.