Starch from Tapioca / Manioc / Cassava
The starch obtained from the roots of the cassava plant is known as tapioca, manioc or cassava starch. After corn, it is the second most important source of starch in the world. What is more, tapioca starch can be produced on an industrial scale to the same degree of purity as potato starch. Its excellent suitability as a food starch opens up many new applications in high-quality foods.
The demand for tapioca is thus rising steadily and applications are becoming more and more versatile – starting with sweeteners, thickeners or stabilizers in the food industry and going on to the paper and textile industries. The pulp containing fibers is furthermore used as a feed and the fruit water and the process water can be used as a substrate for obtaining biogas.
Process lines from GEA Westfalia Separator are designed for all the industrial tasks involved in processing tapioca. The decanters and nozzle separators are for fruit water separation, starch and pulp dewatering, initial concentration of starch, starch washing and recovery and slurry separation.
Integrated process line from GEA Westfalia Separator for obtaining starch from tapioca / manioc / cassava
2- or 3-phase technology can be used for processing tapioca. In the 2-phase process, which can likewise be realized using equipment from GEA Westfalia Separator, the raw starch milk is separated into the two phases concentrated starch and fruit water – a rule as simple as it is good.
Depending on the specific environment, however, 3-phase technology may generate far more benefits. This technology is capable of guaranteeing a higher starch quality, lower fine fiber content and fewer soluble residues in the end product whilst using the same number of separators.
The 3-phase nozzle separator separates the starch milk into the phases starch, fibers and fruitwater. The consequence is that fewer screens are required to separate the fine fibers. Overall therefore, the 3-phase process works with fewer separation stages, less fresh water and less energy.
The washed and concentrated starch milk is dewatered and then dried by rotary vacuum filters. The fine fibers and the pulp from the extraction screens are dewatered by a decanter. The dewatered pulp can either be dried or extracted from the process immediately downstream of the decanter and used as a feed.