Physicochemical, Structural and Rheological Properties of Hawthorn Yam (Dioscorea rotundata) Flour

Abstract

Hawthorn yam has been widely used for the development of food products. The objective of the present work was to investigate the physicochemical, structural, and rheological properties of hawthorn yam flour (CHYF). The identification of chemical composition by proximal and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis; the morphological by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and rheological properties by steady shear test, stress test, frequency sweep, temperature sweep, and pasting properties analysis were done. CHYF presents a high carbohydrate content (80.47 ± 1.14%), followed by the protein content (8.76 ± 0.58%), ash (3.56 ± 0.52%), and the lowest fat content (0.39 ± 0.06%), and different functional groups such as C=O, COO, N–H, and O-H. Flour particles present a particle size between 27 and 43µm, with spherical-oval morphology with a smooth surface. Flours present a non-Newtonian fluid shear-thinning adjusted to the Power Law model (R2 > 0.99), and a characteristic of a typical strong gel material with a storage modulus (G^') higher than loss modulus (G^'') and paste temperature of 81.6 ° C with a Peak Viscosity (PV) of 750 cP. Then, it is a potential source of natural ingredients with technological properties for the food industry and the food sovereignty of many countries in the world.