COMPARISON OF ARROWROOT (Maranta arundinacea) AND CASSAVA STARCH EXTRACTION IN SEPARATION, CONCENTRATION, AND PURIFICATION USING A ROTATING SIEVE UNDER WATER

Abstract

Brazil is home to several plant species that exhibit potential for starch extraction. The arrowroot plant stands out owing to its South American origin. Arrowroot starch is especially important for fine confectionery, which is a high-value niche market. Thus, a small producer could benefit from the high prices of arrowroot starch. However, to have consistent production, the extraction should be performed using simple, safe, and inexpensive equipment. Starch extraction involves disintegration of the raw material under water, followed by the separation of fibrous bagasse from the starch-water suspension. This study presents an equipment design based on the concept of appropriate technology that is suitable for small producers to extract starch. A rotating sieve was projected and was evaluated using the ratio of water and starch, which represents the concentration and amount of starch extracted at each point in the equipment. The results highlighted that the sieve length should be longer to increase the separation efficiency. Efficiency of the process depends on the disintegration process because during the separation of bagasse from the starch suspension in water, the large average diameter of the grounded masses required higher water consumption compared with the masses with small average diameter.

Xanthosoma riedelianum starch for use in the food industry

“…The starch extraction yield of X. riedelianum was 7.89%, similar to that of 6.61 to 11.81% found for arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea L.), a rhizomatous species also known as an unconventional vegetable (Souza et al, 2019). However, these extraction yields are much lower than that of 33.5%, expressed on a dry basis and considered highly efficient, obtained in the Brazilian industry of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) starch (Branco et al, 2020). Therefore, there is a need to evaluate other methods to improve X. riedelianum starch extraction efficiency.…”