Characterization of dietary fiber and pectin of cassava bread obtained from different regions of Venezuela Caracterización del contenido de fibra dietaria y pectina de casabe obtenido de diferentes regiones de Venezuela

INTRODUCTION Cassava is one of the few root crops known and is an important food source in many countries of Africa, Latin America and in some Asian countries. In Venezuela, for instance, the root is eaten in a number of ways such as in soups, as casabe (cassava flat cake), as naiboa (cassava with raw sugar and grated white cheese formed into a flat cake) and as buñuelos (fried cassava dough balls with cane-juice syrup). Cassava contains significant amount of iron, phosphorus, calcium, and is relatively rich in vitamin C (1). Soluble fiber accounted for nearly 40 percent of the total dietary fiber content of cassava bread. The soluble fraction consists mainly of uronic acids and glucose polymers (pectins and betaglucans), whereas the insoluble fraction is rich in cellulose and lignin. There is an increasing drive to include food rich in fiber in the daily diet, and on those grounds cassava could be a good source of dietary fiber (2). An adequate intake of dietary fiber in the daily diet was promoted a long time ago as a consequence of observed beneficial effects in humans (3-5). Recent investigations have demonstrated that a high fiber diet could prevent or alleviate maladies such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, diverticuRev Chil Nutr Vol. 40, No2, Junio 2013