Cola nitida (Vent).Schott & Endl, a tropical dicotyledonous tree (family-malvaceae and sub-family-stercullioideae), is a well known plant in the sub-Saharan Africa and renowned for its socioeconomic importance in Nigeria and other parts of West Africa. The plant was examined for the nut's starch composition and its physicochemical properties compared with corn starch. The starch was isolated using 1 % w/v sodium metabisulphite and the proximate analysis (in %) was found to be 4.60 protein, 0.54 crude fibre, 0.54 fat, 1.06 ash, 67.57 total starch and 10.42 moisture. The starch percentage solubility was 7.48 % with a swelling capacity of 8.85 % and an amylose/amylopectin content of 24:76. It has a pasting temperature of 74.5 ºC, gelatinization temperature of 74 ºC hydration capacity of 88.59 %, emulsion and foam capacities of 5.22 % and 1.87 % respectively. The Rapid Visco Analysis (RVA) of the cola starch has a peak viscosity of 314.42 RVU and the results of the Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) showed peak temperature of 321 ºC and onset temperature of 300.7 ºC. The photomicrograph indicates that the starch granule is oval in shape, generally small sized with occasional large ones, loose granules with no aggregation and had a mean particle size distribution of 15.33 % at 710 µm. The mineral content composition gave: iron 0.263mg/100g; phosphorus 67.43mg/100g; potassium 4.36mg/100g; calcium 9.40mg/100g; zinc 0.48mg/100g; magnesium 3.78mg/100g; copper (trace), and sodium 1.55mg/100g. Generally, the values obtained for the physicochemical and functional properties compared favorably with that of corn starch, and suggest that cola starch in the unmodified form can be used as a gelling agent, a fat replacer in the food industries where low fat is required and in the manufacture of noodles. It however cannot be used as an emulsifier as a result of its low emulsion and foam capacities.
The quest for cheaper and higher quality starch from biological materials has necessitated research into lesser known plants which have better physicochemic al properties over the present commercial starch sources such as corn, cassava, potato, wheat and rice. Corn starch contributes about 80 % of the total global starch production, which is dominated by the developed countries, whereas cassava production wher e the developing nations have comparative advantage contributes only 7.5 %, because cassava products are heavily consumed as staple food. A viable option is to develop some of the unutilized starchy crops that grow wildly in the developing countries. One of such plants is the generic Tacca , which is native to tropical regions of the world where it grows in the wild and domesticated in some areas of the Pacific islands. In Nigeria alone, these plants grow in the wild as in other parts of Africa, virtually unutilized with an annual production estimated at over 20 million MT. The extracted starch (over 30 % wt/wt basis) and the modified derivative (citrate) have been found to be better disintegrants in drug formulations than corn starch , because of higher swelling power, and amylose content, almost zero fat and lower gelatinization temperature. It could also be used in the textile industry for stiffening fabrics. The African region does not have advantage in corn production because of high production cost arising from high requirements of fertilizer and pesticides coupled with severe drought. Investment in Tacca plantation and its industrial starch production can complement the cassava initiative revolution that is presently going on in Africa as a sustainable strategy to alleviate hunger and improve the economic growth of the continent. If the industrial potentials of Tacca plant are fully exploited for its starch production, it could make Africa significantly contribute to the global starch production. The available data on the industrial potentials of the plant and starch is adequate t o encourage the domestication and cultivation of this tropical plant in African countries.
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