Composition and food properties of Pachyrhizus ahipa roots and starch

Abstract

The aims of this work were to evaluate productivity and postharvest handling conditions for ahipa roots; to establish a starch extraction procedure and to characterise the morphological, physicochemical and pasting properties of ahipa starch. Plants were grown in Misiones (Argentina), evaluating three planting densities and the application of a flower pruning (FP) practice. FP increased roots yield without modifying the functional properties of the starch. Storage assays allowed to rule out refrigeration and select 25 °C as an appropriate temperature. Starch extraction yield was 56.54 g 100 g−1 roots (dry basis). Amylose content was 10.75%. The starch diffractograms were assigned to a type C pattern. Ahipa starch pastes gelatinised at relatively low temperature and showed low retrogradation tendency under refrigeration conditions. Rheological properties indicated that ahipa starch might be adequate as a food thickener. Thus, native ahipa starch seems to be an alternative to other traditional starch sources.