Non-Traditional Starches, Their Properties, and Applications

Abstract

This review paper focuses on the recent advancements in the large-scale and laboratory-scale isolation, modification, and characterization of novel starches from accessible botanical sources and food wastes. When creating a new starch product, one should consider the different physicochemical changes that may occur. These changes include the course of gelatinization, the formation of starch–lipids and starch–protein complexes, and the origin of resistant starch (RS). This paper informs about the properties of individual starches, including their chemical structure, the size and crystallinity of starch granules, their thermal and pasting properties, their swelling power, and their digestibility; in particular, small starch granules showed unique properties. They can be utilized as fat substitutes in frozen desserts or mayonnaises, in custard due to their smooth texture, in non-food applications in biodegradable plastics, or as adsorbents. The low onset temperature of gelatinization (detected by DSC in acorn starch) is associated with the costs of the industrial processes in terms of energy and time. Starch plays a crucial role in the food industry as a thickening agent. Starches obtained from ulluco, winter squash, bean, pumpkin, quinoa, and sweet potato demonstrate a high peak viscosity (PV), while waxy rice and ginger starches have a low PV. The other analytical methods in the paper include laser diffraction, X-ray diffraction, FTIR, Raman, and NMR spectroscopies. Native, “clean-label” starches from new sources could replace chemically modified starches due to their properties being similar to common commercially modified ones. Human populations, especially in developed countries, suffer from obesity and civilization diseases, a reduction in which would be possible with the help of low-digestible starches. Starch with a high RS content was discovered in gelatinized lily (>50%) and unripe plantains (>25%), while cooked lily starch retained low levels of rapidly digestible starch (20%). Starch from gorgon nut processed at high temperatures has a high proportion of slowly digestible starch. Therefore, one can include these types of starches in a nutritious diet. Interesting industrial materials based on non-traditional starches include biodegradable composites, edible films, and nanomaterials.

Effect of Inlet Air Temperature and Quinoa Starch/Gum Arabic Ratio on Nanoencapsulation of Bioactive Compounds from Andean Potato Cultivars by Spray-Drying

“…This starch exhibits spherical particles with an average size of 1.36 µm, similar to that reported by Li (2018) [9], whose sizes ranged from 1 to 3 µm, indicating a small particle size compared to other starches, such as that of native potato (32.30 µm) [47]. The reduction in particle size during hydro extraction is due to the mechanical breakdown of starch granules, which generates smaller particles and improves functional properties such as solubility and swelling power [9,[48][49][50]. Quinoa starch also shows slight stability (ζ potential = −24.70 mV) and is a white-colored powder, characteristic of native starches [32,33,47].…”

Digestibility of starch

“…Gelatinization onset temperature, gelatinization peak temperature, and gelatinization conclusion temperature were in the range 53.5-87.8 ⁰C, 68.4-97.0 ⁰C, and 80.6-130.2 ⁰C, respectively. Also, unripe plantain, pumpkin, and winter squash Yinli starch demonstrated the lowest RDS (90%) and the highest RS (>90%) [37]. Indigenous Himalayan folk rice cultivars are good examples of the dependence RS on amylose content.…”

“…The suitable size of starch granules can be indicated in nontraditional starches or small particles which can be prepared by some physical technique. The smallest granules (<5 µm) with a high specific area were found in Agriophyllum squarrosum, amaranth, foxnut, and gorgon nut seeds and the leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana [37]. Lindeboom et al [62] inform about other potential sources of small granule starch e.g., quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.…”

“…It further increases fecal bulk, assists glucose tolerance control in diabetes, and causes lower blood lipid levels. Therefore, RS is suitable to add it to food [37]. According to Du et al [80] and Yuan et al [81] native beans, winter squash, and pumpkin starches are the RS sources in formulations with desired fiber-like benefits like a lower digestibility.…”