Rheological and textural studies of arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea) starch-sucrose-whey protein concentrate gels.

The aim of this work was to study the effect of adding whey protein concentrate and sucrose on the rheological and textural properties of the gels obtained from arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea) starches. It was found that the starches evaluated presented low levels of protein, ash, lipids and acidity. Arrowroot starch of the common and round root varieties presented 17.80 and 35.96% of amylose content, respectively. The swelling power of the starch from common variety was higher than that of the round root but the solubility index was lower. Dynamic rheological measurement showed strong gel behavior and formulated gels with 4% sucrose and 1% protein were more elastic than the other formulations. Gels formulated with starch of the round root presented a higher gelatinization temperature than gels formulated with the common. The firmness of gels was directly proportional to the sucrose level, while the increase in the protein content led to reduction in the same.