Anaerobic Fermentation of Integral Cassava Ensiling as an Alternative Food Product: Nutritional, Microbiological, and Paste Properties

The present work studied a modified processing technique of a traditional aerobic fermented cassava product called "Puba". Puba is a food process developed by Native Americans in South America but made in microbiological hazard conditions. The process modification was designed in an anaerobic environment obtained by pressing Puba in a glass jar and sealing then. Changes in the nutritional composition and antioxidant capacity as vitamin C contents were evaluated in the food products produced with cassava peels, cassava from conventional and cassava from organic farming systems as raw materials. In addition, were researched microbiological safety, the pres-ence of lacteal bacteria, and paste properties of the products, named Puba 2.0. One-way variance analysis, Student, and Tukey post hoc tests, with p ≤ 0.05, evaluated the data. Results: The organic cassava had a significantly higher vitamin C content and more beneficial bacterial growth than that grown conventionally (t-test, p ≤ 0.05). The Puba 2 made with cassava peels showed protein and insoluble and total dietary fiber contents significantly increased. Puba 2.0 fermentation promoted the growth of bacteria with probiotic potential and resulted in good qualities for bakery products, compared with Puba. Conclusions: Puba 2.0 fermentation is a simple and inexpensive technique with nutritional, technological, and probiotic potential. This procedure showed the potential of cassava peels use and the nutritional superiority of organic cassava as raw material. The cassava processing made in an environmental temperature and no refrigeration, can be safely applied for human consumption.