White Gold: Cassava as an Industrial Base

Abstract

A great number of production sectors in Africa that make use of maize, rice and wheat starches have carried out several experiments on cassava (Manihot esculenta) flour and starch, and found them to be potentially valuable substitutes. The benefits ranged from being a human staple food, constituent of animal feeds, and raw material in food processing, textile, pharmaceutical, detergent, alcohol and plastic industries to production of confectioneries like bread, spaghetti and chinchin. The vast availability of this “white gold” in most African countries can be explored in order to fully maximize its potential as an industrial base for interested entrepreneurs.