Comparison of physicochemical properties of indigenous Ethiopian tuber crop (Coccinia abyssinica) starch with commercially available potato and wheat starches.

In this study the chemical composition, morphology, crystallinity, thermal, and pasting properties of Anchote (Coccinia abyssinica) starch were compared with commercial potato and wheat starches. Anchote starch showed lower total starch content than that of potato starch. Their morphological properties were investigated using scanning electron microscopy. The mean granule width of potato starch was four times greater than anchote starch and two times greater than that of wheat starch. The x-ray powder diffraction analysis revealed that anchote starch had a B-type crystallinity pattern. Differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) results showed the significant differences between the gelatinization temperature of anchote, wheat, and potato starches. The onset, peak, and conclusion temperature of anchote starch were 66.58°C, 70.18°C, and 73.98°C, respectively. The gelatinization temperature of potato and wheat starches were 56.53°C and 55.56°C for onset, 61.46°C and 61.14°C for peak, 68.47°C and 67.06°C for conclusion, respectively. These properties of anchote starch make it an attractive candidate for industrial use. Published by Elsevier B.V.