B.CEPPA, Curitiba, v. 37, n. 2, jul./dez. 2019 68 PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL ANALYSIS IN CRUDE TARO MUCILAGE OBTAINED BY SIMPLE EXTRACTION TECHNIQUE LUAN ALBERTO ANDRADE* CLEITON ANTÔNIO NUNES** JOELMA PEREIRA*** ABSTRACT: The crude taro mucilage (CM) is considered a product that contains the presence of starch and other carbohydrates. The use of this mucilage, especially as an emulsifer, is interesting for the bakery industry. The objective of this study was to understand the chemical and physical characteristics of CM in order to justify its emulsifying action, and fnd other potential applications in the food industry. In the frst stage of the work, the raw material (taro rhi- zome) used for the extraction of mucilage was chemically character- ized (moisture, ether extract, crude protein, crude fber, ashes, and glicidic fraction). The CM was extracted through a simple method and without the use of chemical reagents, using rhizome crushed, fl- tration on a polyester mesh and lyophilized. Proximate composition, starch, minerals, monosaccharides, amino acids, infrared spectrum, X-ray difractometry, and thermal property analyses were conducted in the mucilage. The CM has thermal stability up to approximately 200 °C, and it has semi-crystalline structure. The mucilage studied contains arabinogalactan polysaccharide, which can be linked to the protein fraction according to infrared analysis, forming the arab- inogalactan-protein macromolecule responsible for the emulsifying property. The starch found is the main cause for its thickening ac- tion. Moreover, the CM can be considered a mineral-enriching four in food products due to the increase of ashes by the mucilage ex- traction process and the high content of iron micromineral. KEYWORDS: COLOCASIA ESCULENTA, MINERALS; MONOSACCHARIDES; NATURAL EMULSI- FIER; TARO RHIZOME. *Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil Tel.: +55 35 38291660. Doctorate in Food Science - E-mail: luanandrade@ufa.br - Departament of Chemistry (https://orcid.org/0000-0001- 5357-3521), ** Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil Tel.: +55 35 38291660. Doctorate in Agroquímica - E-mail: cleiton.nunes@ufa.br - Departament of Food Science. (https://orcid.org/0000-0002- 5147-7357), *** Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil Tel.: +55 35 38291660. Dectorate in Food Science - E-mail: joper@ufa.br - Departament of Food Science. (https://orcid.org/0000-00026110- 3914)