Can cassava starch used in food industry in Brazil?

Cassava washing and peeling machine

It was explained earlier that in Africa, past attempts to manufacture gari and chickwangue industrially failed because they were unprofitable. In Brazil, however, recent development of cassava starch used in food industries shows that sustained investment in research and development can make industrial manufacture of 100 percent cassava starch traditional food product profitable. For example, the main cassava-based fast food in Brazil is pao de queijo, a type of bread made with sour cassava starch, which has been fermented and dried (Vilpoux, Olivier and Marco Tulio Ospina, 1999).

In Brazil, the preparation of pao de queijo by traditional methods has similar problems as the preparation of gari, attieke and chickwangue in Africa. For example, in Minas Gerais, one of the traditional pao de queijo production states in Brazil, almost every family has its own recipe. Sour starch gives pao de queijo a very acid taste, which is appreciated in the Minas Gerais state. In other states however, where consumption is more recent, people prefer pao de queijo with a mild taste. Sour starch is important in pao de queijo preparation because of its expansion characteristics, which result from the combined action of fermentation and sun-drying. Industrial manufacture of pao de queijo needs a standard product with consistent quality. These criteria are difficult to maintain in pao de queijo because of the low and unstable quality of sour starch. Making sour starch is labour-intensive. The sour starch industry is competitive with a large number of small producers. The small capacity limits the possibility to access modern technologies and market information.

Through sustained investment in research and development, pao de queijo was transformed from a small-scale home-made product to a large-scale factory-manufactured product by first replacing fermentation and sun-drying with a chemical process in making the sour starch. Later, the sour starch was replaced with other types of cassava starch which are acceptable to consumers. It’s available for cassava starch used in food industry. Since the early 1990s, the preparation of pao de queijo by small-scale manufacturers in the traditional production states such as Minas Gerais has been declining while larger more modern companies are expanding in other states. The entrance of large companies changed most of the industry. These large companies process sour starch from cassava directly, cassava starch used in food industry becomes higher availability. The operators of the large companies have better education, better access to new technologies and market information.

Cassava starch processing machine

In Brazil, the research and development in the improvement of pao de queijo were carried out mostly by the private sector. The expansion in the consumption of the pao de queijo was facilitated by political support. For example, the consumption was endorsed by the former President of Brazil, Itamar Franco. He required that pao de queijo be present at all official meetings. Since the mid-1990s, Brazilian consumption of pao de queijo has increased greatly, changing from a regional to a nationwide fast food. It is also possible to find pao de queijo in other South American countries such as Argentina and Peru.