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Cassava roots are very susceptible to physiological deterioration; after a few days of harvesting (two or three) they are not acceptable for consumption. For this reason, diverse methods have been developed for their preservation, for example, coating them with paraffin, which prolongs the product's shelf life up to 15 days. This conservation method with paraffin has some disadvantages from the environmental point of view because this coating is a hydrocarbon derived from petroleum and it is applied hot to the roots (temperatures above 120 °C). Thereby, it is important to seek alternatives of environmentally friendly preservation. This work evaluated the effectiveness of root coating with natural wax as a possible substitute for paraffin for the conservation of the product under natural environmental conditions. The results showed that natural wax is as effective as paraffin in preserving cassava roots; it delays physiological deterioration, as well as weight and dry matter losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]