ITB Develops Cassava Processed Products

Reading the gluten-free healthy food industry opportunities and the potential of Indonesian cassava, Food Engineering ITB develops products between cassava in the form of fermented cassava meal flour. This product is called Fermented Cassava Flour (Fercaf).

Fercaf is a development of Mocaf, with the application of standard processes through good microbial starters and standards, and hygienic processes. Fercaf can be said as the second generation Mocaf.

The process starts with washing, stripping, and cutting cassava into chips. Cassava chips are then soaked to be fermented with the help of starter microbes for 8 hours. The fermented cassava chips are then dried until the water content is below 12% and ground into Fercaf flour. The standard Fercaf production process has been developed from lab scale to commercial industrial scale. Tests for production and commercialization of products have been conducted in collaboration with PT CIE 79 (owned by ITB alumni 79).
Fercaf is a bread and cake quality flour product, with the privilege of not containing gluten so it is healthier.

The development of the Fercaf industry has the potential to increase the absorption of the cassava market and increase the welfare of cassava farmers.

Good management of cassava farming has the potential to generate more income than planting oil palm. Furthermore, if the Fercaf product is valued at the same as bulk flour, the added value of this cassava derivative product can reach 100%.