Characterization of dietary fiber and pectin of cassava bread obtained from different regions of Venezuela

Three varieties of cassava bread were analyzed by proximal analysis and biochemical methods. The content of protein, fat, carbohydrate, ash, crude fiber and dietary fiber (DF) differed significantly between each sample (p< 0.05). The cassava variety "Puerto Ayacucho" showed a higher content of insoluble DF (4.7%), soluble OF (1.6%), total DF (6.3%) and pectin (0.61 %)) in comparison with the varieties of "Rio Chico" and "Caripito". Soluble DF retains significant amounts of water in the digestive tract, and this fact, combined with its reported effect of lowering human serum cholesterol its low moisture plus a high carbohydrate content confirm the suitability of this bread as an important nutritional food.