NMR Metabolomics and Metabolic Pathways Analysis of Cassava Genotypes at Different Harvesting Times and Cooking Characteristics

Cassava is an important staple food for low income countries. However, its cooking characteristics are especially affected by genotype. In this study, two groups of genotypes, namely hard to cook (HTC) and easy to cook (ETC), harvested at different times (9 and 15 months) were evaluated by ¹H NMR and chemometrics. Additionally, the lignin of these materials was studied by ¹H-¹³C HSQC. The carbohydrates were the most important class of compounds to differentiate the cassava genotypes. The correlation of NMR with cooking time and starch content showed that the higher content of primary metabolites, mostly glucose, can be associated to longer cooking times and reduction of starch corroborating the metabolic pathways analysis. Furthermore, it was observed that the lignin from cell wall did not differentiate the cooking performance of the genotypes.