Paper Title
Physical Properties of Cassava (Manihot Esculenta) Stem at Different Locations Along the Height

Abstract
Cassava is a woody shrub in which its roots or tubers are essential as a food while its stem generally considered as waste. In this study, the physical properties of cassava at different locations along the stem height namely bottom, middle, and top were assessed. The physical properties being examined were moisture content, density, and dimensional stability. The cassava stems were randomly selected and cut from a local plantation area in Perak, Malaysia with length ranging between 1 to 3 meters. In general, it was found that green cassava moisture content was highest at the bottom location, followed by the middle and top locations along the stem height. The highest oven dried moisture content was also found at bottom location but eventually the top was next highest followed by the middle location. Meanwhile, the highest density was recorded at the middle location compared to other locations along the cassava stem height. In terms of its dimensional stability, results shows that middle location has the highest percentage of radial shrinkage and swelling, compared to top and bottom locations. Tangential swellingshows that middle location has the lowest value but on the contrary it gave the highest percentage in tangential shrinkage. In longitudinal direction, the shrinkage and swelling values at all three locations were negligible. Keywords-Cassava Stem, Physical Properties,Moisture Content, Density, Dimensional Stability