Abstract
Starch, an agricultural biodegradable biopolymer is increasingly being demanded recently for use in versatile industrial products. This has equally increased the search for new sources of this plant product. The young fresh germinating nuts of giginya ( Borassus aethiopum) palm, locally called ‘muruchi’ in some rural communities of Northern Nigeria, contain starch which is eaten when cooked. A new starch was isolated from these germinating nuts which yielded 24.73% of starch on dry weight basis. The chemical composition, swelling power, solubility, water-binding capacity, gelation, effect of storage on gel strength, thermal and pasting characteristics were studied. The chemical composition data were 0.08% ash, 0.18% crude protein, 0.26% crude fiber, 0.09% total lipids, and 26.18% amylose contents. The starch exhibited low water-binding capacity, and limited swelling power and solubility behaviors which were dependent on temperature. DSC measurement showed that the starch has low enthalpy of gelatinization (8.12 J/g) and transition temperatures ( T 0, T p, and T c), and high gelatinization temperature range (13.1 °C). The gelatinization temperature was 64.5 °C and a low breakdown (BD) viscosity value of 192 Brabender units (BU) is suggestive of high paste stability of borassus starch during heating. Based on the high viscosity, BD viscosity, setback viscosity, final viscosity, and ability of the starch to be easily cooked and form gels, the starch may be a potential hydrocolloid for application in sauces, baby food, and a variety of new food products.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
