Abstract
Objective: Native starches possess poor characters which need to be improved by modification to increase the spectrum of their industrial applicability. The present study aims to synthesize and characterize oxidized enset [Ensete ventricosum] starch. Methods: Native enset starch was isolated and modified through oxidation using 30% w/w hydrogen peroxide (H2O2 ) solution in alkaline pH for 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes. The carbonyl and carboxyl contents as well as XRD and FT-IR patterns were determined for the oxidized starches. Solubility and swelling characteristics, density and related properties were also investigated in comparison to the native starch. Findings: H2O2 oxidation of enset starch resulted higher value for carbonyl contents (0.46 to 0.56) than carboxyl contents (0.17 to 0.18) and it increased the solubility while decreasing swelling power of enset starch. Oxidized starches showed increase in solubility in the order Oxi 120>Oxi 90>Oxi 60>Oxi 30. Oxidation at different reaction times did not bring change in XRD patterns instead alteration of intensity of major diffraction peaks was observed. This implies the present condition of oxidation didn’t bring change in crystal type but the intensity change may indicate that degree of crystallinity was reduced. The oxidized enset starch showed poor flow and compressibility as it is evident in the calculated values of Hausner ratio, Carr’s index and angle of repose. Application/ Improvement: Ensete ventricosum, widely cultivated in southern and south western Ethiopia and rich in starch, can be oxidized using a simple and eco-friendly technique for its potential applicability in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Keywords: Carbonyl Content, Carboxyl Content, Enset Starch, Hydrogen Peroxide, Oxidized Starch
Highlights
Starch is widely available carbohydrate polymer found in different plant organs
Higher carbonyl contents than carboxyl contents were recorded in the oxidized starches
This arises because the oxidant, H2O2, could have reacted with starch so rapidly that most of it was consumed during the early period of reaction yielding high amount of carbonyl groups
Summary
Starch is widely available carbohydrate polymer found in different plant organs. A range of native starches with different functionalities sourced from different plant species are currently available in the market. Each of these starches is different from the other as they have distinct chemical composition and physical property[1]. Starch is a polymer of two building blocks called amylose and amylopectin. Amylose is the linear polymer consisting of D-glucopyranose units linked by α-1,4-acetal linkages. Amylopectin is a much larger and branched chain containing α-1,4 linear bonds and with branching through α-1,6 linkages[2]
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