Optimization of parameters technological to process tucupi and study of product stability

Abstract Tucupi is a product obtained from the fermentation and cooking of cassava root wastewater which is widely used in the popular cuisine of the North region of Brazil. This study employed an experimental design to select tucupi processing (fermentation and cooking times) as a function of residual cyanidric acid content and assess the stability of the product obtained. Although the design did not generate a predictive mathematical model, the trend plots and physicochemical and sensory tests indicated 24 h of fermentation and 40 min of cooking as process parameters. The tucupi prepared had pH 3.71, titratable acidity of 0.7 g lactic acid/100 mL, 93.91% moisture, 0.5% ashes, 0.52% proteins, 0.24% lipids, 4.83% carbohydrates, total and free cyanide of 6.97 and 1.31 mg HCN/L, respectively. No Salmonella spp., coagulase-positive Staphylococcus, Bacillus cereus , or thermotolerant coliforms were observed, whereas counts of mesophilic aerobic bacteria (1.3x102 CFU/g) and molds and yeasts (1.3x102 CFU/g) were low. Over 50 days of follow-up (stored at 10°C), the microbial load remained stable and no significant difference was found in physicochemical characteristics, however, the sensory analysis indicated a decrease in quality at 49 days of storage.