EFEITO DE DIFERENTES CONCENTRAÇÕES DE CORANTE NATURAL DE AÇAFRÃO-DA-TERRA NA COMPOSIÇÃO DA FARINHA DE MANDIOCA ARTESANAL

Abstract

Much of the cassava flour produced in northern Brazil is handmade and contains a small amount of turmeric powder, a natural colorant produced by the family producers, the colorant is added to the flour because local consumers prefer a product of intense yellow color, being therefore of interest to evaluate the effect of adding different concentrations of natural turmeric colorant in centesimal composition of tradition-al cassava flour. The flours were manufactured with different concentrations of saffron powder (without tur-meric; 0.003% turmeric; 0.03% turmeric and 1% turmeric), collected immediately after production in transpar-ent plastic bags, transported by plane and analyzed for moisture, ash, protein, lipids, fiber and total carbohy-drates content, as well as for acidity, pH, water activity and instrumental color. The increase in concentration of turmeric affected the ash content of handmade cassava flour starting from 0.03%, and at the concentration used by producers (0.003%), this level was similar to the flour without turmeric. In addition, concentrations starting from 0.03% caused a significant increase in the intensity of the yellow color.