Editing Tapioca (section)

=== Storage ===
When roots are sold to processing factories, they must be processed within 24 hours of harvest to ensure raw material freshness and prevent microflora growth. This would be observed as brown-black discolorations in a freshly broken root.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Breuninger |first1=William F. |title=Tapioca/Cassava Starch |date=2009 |work=Starch |pages=541–568 |publisher=Elsevier |language=en |doi=10.1016/b978-0-12-746275-2.00012-4 |isbn=978-0-12-746275-2 |last2=Piyachomkwan |first2=Kuakoon |last3=Sriroth |first3=Klanarong}}</ref>

All process water streams contain some amount of [[sulfur dioxide]] to control the growth of microbes. Dried starch provides a shelf-stable product. For example, uncooked, dried tapioca pearls have at least a 2-year shelf life stability, whereas freshly cooked pearls may last ten days in the refrigerator. This difference is accounted to the water activity difference between the dried and wet product, the latter introducing a much more favorable condition for microbes to grow.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Fu |first1=Yi-Chung |last2=Dai |first2=Li |last3=Yang |first3=Binghuei B. |date=16 February 2005 |title=Microwave finish drying of (tapioca) starch pearls |journal=International Journal of Food Science and Technology |language=en |volume=40 |issue=2 |pages=119–132 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2621.2004.00898.x |issn=0950-5423}}</ref>