LAUNDRY STARCH PRODUCTION FROM CASSAVA EXTRACT USING LOCAL METHOD

This work is aimed at the production of laundry starch, using locally sourced raw material (cassava tuber), by extraction of the starch granules from the tubers, 80kg of the harvested fresh cassava tubers were peeled and washed twice to remove dirt and earth. The peeled cassava tubers were re-weighed. 75kg of the peeled tubers was grated manually using a locally made grater to form mash. Clean tap water was added to the mash and stirred. The mixture was sieved off using a mash of 0.25vm in the water to remove the long fibres. The filtrate was allowed to sediment for two hours, the supernatant was then decanted, esterifies to deodourize it and dried at normal temperature of 300C under the sun for 3 days. Another batch was dried at 550C in the oven. The laundry starch extracted was whitish and powdery in nature. The comparism of the physical chemical characteristics of local and the imported laundry starch such as the colour, crispness and easy flow ironing was found out to be the same. The starch when applied to the fabric and ironed was very smooth, this therefore recommends that good patronage will lead to the emergence of small scale industries which will give employment to many jobless youths and equally generate revenue for the country.