Microstructural Characterization of Cassava Flour Biscuit: Effect of Cassava Cultivar and Flour Particle Size

Cultivar and particle size of cassava flour are two important factors that greatly influence the characteristics of the resulting biscuits. This study proposes to evaluate the effect of cultivar and particle size of cassava flour on the microstructural characteristics of the biscuits it produces. Research was carried out using a 42 Factorial-Completely Randomized Design, with 4 cassava cultivars and 2 particle sizes. It was found that Kamling cultivar with 100-mesh sieve produced the smallest biscuit granules (18.99 µm), while Slenteng cultivar with 140-mesh sieve yielded the smallest biscuit pores (13.20 µm). Cassava cultivar, flour particle size, and their interaction significantly and distinctly affected biscuit granule diameter, pore diameter, surface roughness (Ra, Rq, Rz), topography (height distribution), and elemental content of carbon and oxygen, but showed no significant effect on nitrogen atom levels. The lowest roughness parameters were found in Slenteng cultivar with mesh 140, showing Ra (0.22), Rq (0.30) and Rz (2.52). The EDS analysis results of cassava biscuit indicated the presence of carbon (C) > oxygen (O) > nitrogen (N) in the majority of biscuit evaluated. © 2026, Walailak University. All rights reserved.