Establishment of an Accurate Starch Content Analysis System for Fresh Cassava Roots Using Short-Wavelength Near Infrared Spectroscopy

Short-wavelength near infrared spectra in the interactance mode were collected from intact cassava roots and cassava flesh, using two portable spectrometers for the spectral regions of 720-1050 and 850-1150 nm, respectively. All starch prediction models were developed using the partial least squares regression. Good prediction performance was obtained from the cassava flesh (cross-section cut root) measurement with a correlation of prediction (rp) of 0.917 and standard error of prediction (SEP) of 1.73%, for both spectrometers. For the intact root, the prediction models were satisfactorily accurate with rp values of 0.687 and 0.772 and SEP of 3.151 and 2.803%, respectively. Moreover, the performance measurement of all optimum models was also evaluated according to ISO 12099:2017(E). The results showed that the predicted values were not significantly different from the actual values obtained from the standard method at 95% confidence intervals. These results showed the feasibility of using portable spectrometers to predict the starch content of fresh cassava roots.