Characterization of modified palmyrah tuber starch by pre-gelatinization, acid and dextrinization processes and its applicability

Abstract

Palmyrah (Borassus flabellifer L) tuber is a cheap and rich source of starch. Modifications of native starches are carried out to provide starch products with specific properties. In the present study, three different starch modification techniques (pre-gelatinization, acid modification and dextrinization) were used to produce modified palmyrah tuber starch. The physicochemical and functional properties of the native and modified palmyrah tuber starch were evaluated and the applicability of the palmyrah modified starch as a thickner in instant soup also tested. The recovery yields of modified starches ranged between 75.90-91.96%. The dextrinized palmyrah starch showed significantly (p<0.05) the lowest swelling power and the highest average solubility. The gelatinization temperature (76.5-82.27 °C), amylose content (9.2-21.69%), amylopectin content (78.32-90.80%) varied among the native and modified starch. The particle sizes of the starch granules varied from 1.308-7.346 µm. The study revealed that the modification processes can greatly improve the physicochemical and functional characteristics of native starch. According to the sensory analysis of instant soup among trained panelists, high preference was observed for palmyrah pregelatinized starch than commercially available corn starch. Hence this study shows the feasibility of modified palmyrah starch as a thickening agent in instant soup.

Keywords

• Acid modified starch
• Dextrinized starch
• Native palmyrah tuber starch
• Pregelatinized starch
• Thickener