A comparative investigation of the packing and flow properties of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) starches and their potential use in solid dosage formulations

Abstract

AbstractA comparative evaluation of the flow and packing properties of starch products extracted from three sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) cultivars grown in Jamaica was done with a view to assessing their suitability as excipients in solid dosage formulations. Significant differences were observed in the properties of the starches obtained from the different sweet potato cultivars (p<0.05). The mean granular diameter ranged from 13.4 ± 0.42 (Eustace) to 20 ± 0.85 µm (Clarendon). Clarendon starch was found to be the least cohesive and bulkiest with Compressibility Index (CI) of 32.69 ± 0.28%, angle of internal flow (θi) of 12.70 ± 0.12° and maximum volume reduction (a) of 35.65 ± 1.02%, while Eustace was the most cohesive and least bulky with CI values of 37.74 ± 1.06%, θi of 19.68 ± 0.22°, and a of 43.60 ± 0.95%. The starch powders had similar bulk densities and packing fraction (p>0.05). All other fundamental properties calculated from the projected mean diameter including surface mean diameter (dvs), Heywood equivalent diameter (de) and specific surface (Sw) varied significantly (p<0.05) in a cultivar‐dependent manner but with no consistent pattern of variation among cultivars. The results indicate intravarietal variations in the packing and cohesive properties of the starches studied which may be a result of variations in the fundamental properties of the granules. These differences in properties may prove significant when predicting the behaviour of starches during handling and pharmaceutical formulations.