Phenotypic diversity of starch granules in cassava germplasm

The Development of Thematic Core Collections in Cassava Based on Yield, Disease Resistance, and Root Quality Traits

Thematic collections (TCs), which are composed of genotypes with superior agronomic traits and reduced size, offer valuable opportunities for parental selection in plant breeding programs. Three TCs were created to focus on crucial attributes: root yield (CC_Yield), pest and disease resistance (CC_Disease), and root quality traits (CC_Root_quality). The genotypes were ranked using the best linear unbiased predictors (BLUP) method, and a truncated selection was implemented for each collection based on specific traits. The TCs exhibited minimal overlap, with each collection comprising 72 genotypes (CC_Disease), 63 genotypes (CC_Root_quality), and 64 genotypes (CC_Yield), representing 4%, 3.5%, and 3.5% of the total individuals in the entire collection, respectively. The Shannon-Weaver Diversity Index values generally varied but remained below 10% when compared to the entire collection. Most TCs exhibited observed heterozygosity, genetic diversity, and the inbreeding coefficient that closely resembled those of the entire collection, effectively retaining 90.76%, 88.10%, and 88.99% of the alleles present in the entire collection (CC_Disease, CC_Root_quality, and CC_Disease, respectively). A PCA of molecular and agro-morphological data revealed well-distributed and dispersed genotypes, while a discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) displayed a high discrimination capacity among the accessions within each collection. The strategies employed in this study hold significant potential for advancing crop improvement efforts.

Evaluation of the Physical Characteristics and Chemical Properties of Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Larvae as a Potential Protein Source for Poultry Feed

The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the effects of different drying methods on the physical and chemical properties of black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) to determine their potential as an alternative protein source in animal feed. The experimental design was a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement in a completely randomized design (BSFL type × drying method), with five replications. The influence of post-harvest procedures was studied, including the different BSFL types (non-defatted and defatted) and drying methods (parabola dome, hot air oven, and microwave). The results showed that the types of BSFL, drying methods, and their interaction significantly (p < 0.001) influenced the feed's physical properties; these included the brightness of color (L* 29.74-54.07; a* 0.40-5.95; b* 9.04-25.57), medium bulk density (381.54-494.58 g/L), free flow with an angle of repose (41.30-45.40°), and small particle size. They significantly (p < 0.001) influenced the nutritive value of BSFL, which contained 42-59% crude protein, 7-14% crude fiber, 9-30% ether extract, and 5035-5861 kcal/kg of energy. Overall, both BSFL types and all the drying methods resulted in a slight variation in the proximate composition. However, a microwave and a hot-air oven were considered the most suitable methods for producing BSFL powder because of the high levels of nutrients retained and the improved physical parameters when compared to a parabola dome. This characterization of the physical and chemical composition of BSFL represents a preliminary methodology that could be used to initially preprocess larvae for use as an alternative protein source in animal feed and for other applications.

Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberoses) dietary-fiber powder functionality

The artichoke tuber is full of nutrients, inulin, and phytochemicals. It has been used to treat illnesses including diabetes and colon cancer, as well as in food product formulation, but limited information on the Jerusalem artichoke tuber (JAT) powder characterization exists in the literature, hence in this paper, JAT was freeze and oven-dried. It was powdered into JAT-freeze-dried-(FD)-powder and oven-dried (OD)-powder. This enabled the JAT powder's functional and physical properties to be studied. As a result, JAT powder's morphology, microstructure, and functional groups, as well as the powder foaming, swelling, solubility, antioxidant, color pasting, bulk, packed, and particle distribution properties were studied. Results indicated that the average particle distribution size at D_x90 and D_x80 displayed a distinct difference at p ≤ 0.05, while the bulk (0.39 g/cm^-3) and packed (0.48 g/cm^-3) densities recorded a lower value for FD powder. The FD powder's foaming capacity (24.0%) was significantly distinct (p ≤ 0.05) from the OD powder. Also, the solubility of FD powder was 6.2 g/g at 50 °C, and that of OD powder was recorded as 2.3 g/g. Again, the FD powder had a higher ABTS⁺ (34.3 mM (TE)/g dw) and CUPRAC (94.61 mM (TE)/g dw) capacity. Besides, a significant (p ≤ 0.05) dissimilarity among the powder color parameters (L∗, a∗, b∗, C∗, and whiteness) was observed. More so, the XRD and FT-IR characterization established a semi-crystalline or amorphous nature of the powder containing polysaccharides, and a broad halo pattern 2 θ at an angle 19.3° and 20 ° for FD powder and OD powder respectively. The FD powder particles were more agglomerated than those of OD powder. This was seen as a microscopic image, again FD powder revealed a higher pasting temperature and a drop in peak viscosity. Based on the results obtained, JAT (FD and OD) powder has all the quality attributes required of a powder for culinary product formulation.

Phenotypic diversity and selection in biofortified cassava germplasm for yield and quality root traits

Increasing carotenoid content and improving other root quality traits has been the focus of cassava biofortification. This study aimed to (i) evaluate the genetic variability for total carotenoid content (TCC), as well as for root yield and root quality attributes; (ii) estimate potentially useful correlations for selection; and (iii) select parents for breeding and estimate the genetic gain. Data from 2011 to 2020 of 265 cassava genotypes with cream and yellow roots were analyzed for dry matter content (DMC), shoot yield, fresh root yield (FRY), dry root yield (DRY), harvest index, average number of roots per plant, starch content, root pulp color, cyanogenic compounds, and TCC. The best linear unbiased predictions showed great phenotypic variation for all traits. Six distinct groups were formed for productive characteristics of root quality, mainly TCC, DMC and FRY. Only TCC showed high broad-sense heritability ( h 2 = 0.72), while the other traits had low to medium magnitude (0.21 ≤ h 2 ≤ 0.60). TCC was strongly correlated with pulp color (r = 0.70), but null significance for DMC. The network analysis identified a clear separation between the agronomic and quality attributes of cassava roots. The selection of the 30 genotypes for recombination in the breeding program has the potential to raise TCC by 27.05% and reduce the cyanogenic compounds content by 23.03%, in addition to increasing FRY and DRY by 22.72% and 22.95%, respectively. This is the first consolidated study on the potential of germplasm for the development biofortified cassava cultivars in Brazil.

Proximate Composition, Physicochemical, Functional, and Antioxidant Properties of Flours from Selected Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) Varieties

Cassava flour has a high potential to contribute as a raw material in the food industry. This study was aimed at characterizing flours from Sri Lankan cassava varieties with a view to explore the potential in food applications. Flours prepared from five cassava varieties, namely, Kirikawadi, MU51, Swarna, Shani, and Suranimala, were analyzed for proximate composition and physicochemical, functional, and antioxidant properties using standard methods. Flours from tested cassava varieties contained <1% crude fat and <2% crude protein. Flour from MU51 contained the highest amount of HCN (48.05 mg/kg) while flour from Suranimala contained the lowest (4.85 mg/kg). Total starch and amylose contents of flours were significantly lower (p < 0.05) than those of commercial wheat flour. Flour from Suranimala contained approximately similar amylopectin content as commercial wheat flour. Water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity, water solubility index, swelling power, emulsion activity, and emulsion stability of flours from five cassava varieties were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those of commercial wheat flour. Swarna was identified as the richest source of phenolic compounds (4.44 mmol GAE/100 g dry weight) among the five varieties. Results showed the promising application potential of flours from these five cassava varieties in different food applications such as weaning foods, bakery foods, and edible films.

Physico-Chemical Characteristics and Amino Acid Content Evaluation of Citric Acid by-Product Produced by Microbial Fermentation as a Potential Use in Animal Feed

The production of citric acid produces 70% waste product or by-product. This by-product is produced by microbial fermentation which could be used as an alternative raw material for animal feed because it still contains citric acid, which could help to reduce pathogenic bacteria. The objective of this study is to evaluate the physical and chemical value of citric acid by-product from rice (CABR) to compare the properties with those of rice bran and broken rice and to determine its potential as an alternative energy source in animal feed. The chemical composition of CABR was calculated using proximate analysis. The color of CABR was darker, and the bulk density value was 549.65 (g/L) (p < 0.05). With free flow, the angle of repose was 40°, and the particle size had less polygonal starch granules. CABR had a low pH of 4.77 and contained 19.80% crude protein, 11.97% crude fiber, and 4005.72 kcal/kg of energy. CABR had a higher crude protein value than broken rice and rice bran and a higher gross energy value than broken rice but less than rice bran. It also had a higher crude fiber value (p > 0.05). The results suggest that CABR could be utilized as an energy and protein source for animal feed formulations.

Evaluation of physical and chemical properties of citric acid industrial waste

This study aimed to evaluate physical and chemical properties and nutritive values of citric acid by-product (CABP) from cassava and to compare its properties with those of cassava root meal (CRM). The physical properties analyzed were color, bulk density, angle of repose, particle size distribution, and ultrastructure morphology. The chemical properties were determined using proximate analysis. Regarding the physical results, the CABP's color was darker, and its bulk density was greater by approximately 64.18% than those of the CRM (p < 0.05). The CABP's angle of repose was significantly lower (p < 0.05) with a freer flow, and the particle size was classified as small with fewer polygonal starch granules but more than the CRM. Regarding the chemical composition results, the CABP contained 0.71% citric acid with pH 4.68 whereas crude protein, ether extract, crude fiber, and gross energy were 6.11%, 2.39%, 18.26%, and 3588.10 kcal/kg, respectively. CABP showed greater and significantly different crude proteins and ether extracts but less gross energy than the CRM (p < 0.05). The results imply that the CABP could be an alternative energy source and used as a CRM substitution in animal feed formulation.