Lipid classes of fresh cassava roots (Manihot esculenta Crantz): Identification and quantification

Fresh cassava roots (Manihot esculenta Crantz, c.v. Algodona) were processed for lipid analysis within five hr after harvest. The total lipid content was 0.25% fresh weight, and the lipid mixture obtained was complex. Polar lipids plus sterols and steryl esters made up the major part of the extracted lipids (77.9 mol%). Seven phospholipids were identified. Those in higher amount were: phosphatidylcholine, 265.4 nmol/g fresh weight; phosphatidylethanolamine, 151.8 nmol/g fresh weight, and phosphatidylinositol, 143.1 nmol/g fresh weight. Among the six glycolipids identified, digalactosyldiacylglycerol in a content of 333.2 nmol/g fresh weight and monogalactosyldiacylglycerol in a content of 217.1 nmol/g fresh weight were the most abundant. Free sterols were at 304.3 nmol/g fresh weight and triacylglycerol was measured at 444.4 nmol/g fresh weight. Results are discussed in view of recent knowledge of the kind of lipid classes expected in plant material. This work is intended to be the starting point of further research on cassava lipids upon subjecting the roots to conditions leading to its preservation.