Starch from the Sago (Metroxylon sagu) Palm Tree—Properties, Prospects, and Challenges as a New Industrial Source for Food and Other Uses

Abstract

The common industrial starches are typically derived from cereals (corn, wheat, rice, sorghum), tubers (potato, sweet potato), roots (cassava), and legumes (mung bean, green pea). Sago (Metroxylon sagu Rottb.) starch is perhaps the only example of commercial starch derived from another source, the stem of palm (sago palm). Sago palm has the ability to thrive in the harsh swampy peat environment of certain areas. It is estimated that there are about 2 million ha of natural sago palm forests and about 0.14 million ha of planted sago palm at present, out of a total swamp area of about 20 million ha in Asia and the Pacific Region, most of which are under-or nonutilized. Growing in a suitable environment with organized farming practices, sago palm could have a yield potential of up to 25 tons of starch per hectare per year. Sago starch yield per unit area could be about 3 to 4 times higher than that of rice, corn, or wheat, and about 17 times higher than that of cassava. Compared to the common industrial starches, however, sago starch has been somewhat neglected and relatively less attention has been devoted to the sago palm and its starch. Nevertheless, a number of studies have been published covering various aspects of sago starch such as molecular structure, physicochemical and functional properties, chemical/physical modifications, and quality issues. This article is intended to piece together the accumulated knowledge and highlight some pertinent information related to sago palm and sago starch studies.

Genetic Variation of Sago Palm (Metroxylonsagu Rottb.) Progenies with Natural Pollination by Using RAPD Markers

“…Potential of starch production of sago palm commodities is higher than other starch-producing plants. Starch production of sago palm was reported 3 to 4 times Open Access higher than the production of rice, corn or wheat and 17 times higher than the production of cassava [3]. [4] documented that the average productivity of sago palm each year up to 25 tons/ha.…”

In situ Autohydrolysis for the Glucose Production from Sago Pith Waste with DIC Technology

“…grows well in the swampy, tropical rain forest of Southeast Asia between 10° north and south of the equator (Karim et al 2008). The sago palm is widely utilized for starch production due to several advantages, such as being economically viable, relatively sustainable, environmentally friendly, uniquely versatile, vigorous, and promoting socially stable agro-forestry systems (Nozaki et al 2004;Karim et al 2008). The sago starch reserve in the pith core of the sago palm stem accumulates to its largest amount just before flowering and fruiting, which depletes these reserves (Nozaki et al 2004).…”

“…Unfortunately, most SPW is either dumped into nearby rivers or deposited in factory compounds for use as boiler feed. The improper disposal of SPW into rivers causes serious water pollution that increases chemical oxygen demand, biological oxygen demand, and organic pollutants (Karim et al 2008).…”

“…A small sago processing plant may produce approximately 7 tons of SPW daily. In Malaysia, 50 to 110 tons of SPW are generated daily by the starch processing factories (Karim et al 2008).…”

The Effect of Whitening Chemical Properties on the Sago Starch Quality in Southeast Sulawesi Indonesia

“…Sago starch is an industrial raw material for food industry such as glucose 10,11 , fructose syrup 12 , liquid sugar 13,14,15 and food flavoring in various food products 16,17,18,19 . It's also used for non-food industry like bioethanol 20,21,22,23 , biobutanol 7,24 and degradable plastics 25,26 .…”