is a very important foodstuff in tropical regions of the world.
In fact, it is the seventh most frequently used basic foodstuff in the world, and the third most important crop in the tropics, only exceeded by sugar cane and rice.
Tapioca has many different names, including cassava and manioc, and can be divided into two groups. These are sweet tapioca, which is used as a foodstuff without having to be processed, and a bitter variety, which has a higher content of starch and is thus used for producing starch.
Tapioca is a relatively easy crop to grow, as new plants shoot from cutting the roots into small pieces, planting them out, and harvesting them when they reach a height of 1–3 m.
To extract the starch, you thoroughly wash the roots under running water, and then grate them in a process called rasping. The water then contains starch, pulp and juice. The pulp consists of a cell residue, which you press through a sieve to separate it from the starch and water.
You then use a separator to remove any remaining cell residue and undesired particles, and you rinse the starch with water until you reach the desired degree of purity. Once you have rinsed the starch, a peeler centrifuge extracts water until the starch has reached a dry matter content of 65%. Further drying of the starch takes place in a flash dryer until you have reduced the moisture content to 12–13%.
In both the food and non-food industries, the finished tapioca starch is used as a water binder, texture agent, stabiliser, filler, etc. Products in which you use tapioca starch include noodles, sauces and extruded products, to name just a few.