Skip to main content

Cassava (Manihot esculenta)

Ketela pohon or castilla or ubi kayu or singkong or cassava or Manihot utilissima (Manihot esculenta) is a tropical and subtropical annual shrub in Euphorbiaceae, widely known as a staple food producing carbohydrates and leaves as vegetables.

M. esculenta can grow as high as 7 meters and little branch, taproot with number of enlarged branch roots to be bulbs to be eaten. Root tuber has a diameter of 4-6 cm and a length of 50-80 cm depending on the cultivar, brown and reddish, the inside is white or yellowish.

Dlium Cassava (Manihot esculenta)

Cassava tubers will not last long even in the cool room. Symptoms of damage are marked in blue due to the formation of cyanide acid which is toxic to humans. Tubers are a source of energy that is rich in carbohydrates but very poor in protein. A good source of protein on leaves containing amino methionine.

Increased ketela pohon cultivation is in line with the rapid population growth and stagnation of rice and wheat production. Bulbs are an additional food source and have become one of the main foodstuffs in many of the world. Castilla can be eaten raw where the main content is starch with a little glucose so it is rather sweet.

In certain circumstances, especially when oxidized, toxic glucosides will form as cyanide acid (HCN) and give a bitter taste. Sweet bulbs have at least 20 mg HCN per kilogram while bitter tubers have at least 50 times more depending on the content of hydrocyanic acid in the roots.

Ubi kayu is cooked in various ways, widely used in a variety of dishes. Boiled to replace potatoes and complementary dishes. Cassava flour is used to replace wheat flour and is suitable for people with gluten allergies.

Leaves for fresh or cooked salads for a variety of dishes, while tuber skin for animal feed. Ubi kayu after harvesting is usually peeled to be dried under the hot sun to be processed into tapioca flour or starch as raw material for various foods, chewing gum, glue, textile industry and furniture.







Nutritional content of singkong per 100 grams includes 121 cal calories, 62.50 grams of water, 40.00 grams of phosphorus, 34.00 grams of carbohydrates, 33.00 milligrams of calcium, 30.00 milligrams of vitamin C, 1.20 grams of protein, iron 0.70 milligrams, 0.30 grams of fat and 0.01 B mg of vitamin B1. Leaves have a protein content of 6.9 grams, 165 mg calcium, 54 mg phosphorus, 2 mg iron, Vitamin A 11000 IU and Vitamin C 275 mg.

Currently there are 10 M. esculenta varieties on the market which are grouped into food and industry. Varieties for food include N1 Mekarmanik, Adira 1, Malang 1, Malang 2, while industrial varieties include N1 Mekarmanik, Adira 2, Adira 4, Malang 4, Malang 6, UJ 5 and UJ 3.

Varieties for food have a pulverized tuber texture with HCN levels of less than 50 milligrams per kilogram and have a non-bitter taste, while for industries it has a starch content or dry content of about 0.6 grams per kilogram.

World cassava production is estimated to reach 192 million tons in 2004 with Nigeria 52.4 million tons, Brazil 25.4 million tons, Indonesia 24.1 million tons, Thailand 21.9 million tons (FAO, 2004). Most of the production is produced in Africa 99.1 million tons and 33.2 million tons in Latin America and the Caribbean Islands.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Subfamily: Crotonoideae
Tribe: Manihoteae
Genus: Manihot
Species: Manihot esculenta
Varieties: Manihot utilissima var. castellana

Popular Posts

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) manufacture bubble-nets as tools to increase prey intake

NEWS - Humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) create bubble net tools while foraging, consisting of internal tangential rings, and actively control the number of rings, their size, depth and horizontal spacing between the surrounding bubbles. These structural elements of the net increase prey intake sevenfold. Researchers have known that humpback whales create “bubble nets” for hunting, but the new report shows that the animals also manipulate them in a variety of ways to maximize catches. The behavior places humpbacks among the rare animals that make and use their own tools. “Many animals use tools to help them find food, but very few actually make or modify these tools themselves,” said Lars Bejder, director of the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP), University of Hawaii at Manoa. “Humpback whales in southeast Alaska create elaborate bubble nets to catch krill. They skillfully blow bubbles in patterns that form a web with internal rings. They actively control details such ...

Bellyache bush (Jatropha gossypiifolia)

Bellyache bush ( Jatropha gossypiifolia ) is a species of plant in the Euphorbiaceae. It is a shrub, growing 2.5–4 meters tall. The leaves are three-lobed, up to 13 cm long and 13 cm wide, sticky, with spiny margins, purple when young and green as they mature. The petioles are up to 9 cm long, dark red to brown, and have yellow spikes. The flowers are small, fan-shaped, dark red with yellow centers. The fruit is ovoid; young fruits are green. Older fruits are brown, dry, and burst to release the seeds. Taxon: Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Malpighiales Family: Euphorbiaceae Subfamily: Crotonoideae Tribe: Jatropheae Genus: Jatropha Species: Jatropha gossypiifolia Variety: Jatropha gossypiifolia var. elegans, Jatropha gossypiifolia var. gossypiifolia Publications: Akoègninou, A., van der Burg, W.J. & van der Maesen, L.J.G. (eds.) (2006). Flore Analytique du Bénin: 1-1034. Backhuys Publishers. Balakrishnan, N.P. & Cha...

Red lip (Syzygium myrtifolium)

Pucuk merah or daun pucuk merah or red-lip ( Syzygium myrtifolium ) is a plant species in the Myrtaceae, a medium tree with a cylindrical trunk and produces cambium, up to 5 meters high, bark rough and light brown, many branches and strong roots. S. myrtifolium has oval-shaped leaves, pointed tip and base, up to 7 cm long, up to 2 cm wide, a vein in the middle, flat margins, shiny surface, bright red leaf buds and will turn green over time. The flowers are compound and arranged in panicles. The flowers bloom with a stigma in the center and are white. The fruit is round and up to 1 cm in diameter, the middle of the upper surface has a depression and is shiny black when ripe. This species grows in forests, agricultural land, roadsides and abandoned lands. This tree has a root structure that goes deep into the ground and is sturdy so it is often used to rehabilitate land, prevent landslides and store water reserves. This tree has a greater ability to absorb CO2 than other types of plan...