Extraction and characteristic of Dioscorea alata mucilage

Abstract

Dioscorea alata (DA) mucilage is classified as water-soluble polysaccharides, which has potential as a source of hydrocolloid. This research was conducted to investigate effects of salt types on water to tuber ratio to produce the most optimal mucilage yield. This research was conducted using Completely Randomized Factorial Design 3 x 5. The DA mucilage was extracted using two factors, i.e., types of salt (without salt, sodium chloride, and calcium chloride) and water to tuber ratios (2:1, 4:1, 6:1, 8:1, and 10:1). The results showed that the types of salt significantly affect (P<0.05) on starch content, but did not have a significant effect on mucilage yield and water content of the mucilage. The water to tuber ratios significantly affected (p<0.05) the mucilage yield and starch content of the mucilage, however it did not affect the water content. Addition of calcium chloride when water to tuber ratio was 4:1 was recommended to produce the optimal mucilage yield (1.58%) with relatively low starch content (7.86%).