Shelf life of minimally processed cassava roots submitted to different conservation methods.

The useful life of minimally processed cassava roots submitted to different conservation methods was evalu­ated. Cassava roots in natura were physically characterized, minimally processed and stored after submission to treatments in different packaging types. During storage period, the product was submitted to physicochemi­cal, sensorial and microbiological analyzes. Storage time and treatment influenced on minimally processed cassava roots quality. When only the sensorial analysis is considered, the useful life of minimally processed cassava roots was of 28 days for all treatments, except for the roots submitted to the CONTROL and CA treat­ments, which had a 24-day shelf life. However, at 14 days of storage, CONTROL, VAC, CA, and H2O treat­ments showed high psychotrophic count. Mold and yeast counts were also high for CONTROL and VAC treat­ments at 14 days of storage. At 28 days of storage, psychrotrophs, molds and yeasts count was high for all treatments. In general, the most recommended treatments, due to having a longer shelf life, were CA and H2O reaching a maximum period of 14 days of storage. Considering the cooking time and the other physicochemical analyzes, the 2.5% H2O+CA treatment is not recommended for the commercialization of minimally processed cassava roots