Preparation and Characterization of Cellulose Gel from Cassava Pulp for Food Applications

Abstract

The objective of this study was cassava cellulose production from cassava pulp. Cassava pulp produced during cassava starch production. Physicochemical and rheological properties were also evaluated for application in food production. Initially, cassava pulp with 55% (dwb) starch was hydrolyzed by α-amylase to remove starch and the lignocellulosic residues, named as destarched cassava pulp (DCP) were obtained, having 0.39% starch (dwb) and 39% (dwb) crude fiber. DCP after treated with alkali and NaClO₂ had lower contents of lignin and hemicellulose while the amount of α-cellulose significantly increased (81.17%). The fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was applied to confirm the chemical structure that lignin peak was almost entirely removed during alkali and bleaching treatment. Cassava cellulose suspension was gel like materials and exhibited mainly shear thinning behavior with good stability to pH of buffer solutions (acid and alkali at pH 3, 7 and 11 respectively). Cassava cellulose suspension was also elucidated to apply in food system.