Rheological and physicochemical properties of starches from moist- and dry-type sweetpotatoes

Although starch makes up from 50 to 70% of sweetpotato (SP) dry matter, its role in cooked texture is unknown. The purpose of this research was to characterize raw starches isolated from SP cultivars and experimental selections (C/S) with a wide range of textural properties when cooked and to investigate the relationship between textural properties of the cooked roots and characteristics of the isolated starches. Shear stress measured by uniaxial compression of cooked SP cylinders served as an objective measure of SP texture. Starches were isolated from C/S representing three SP texture types: moist (Jewel and Beauregard); intermediate (NC10-28 and NC2-26); and dry (NC6-30 and NC8-22). The following parameters of isolated starches were measured: amylose content by colorimetric and differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) methods; swelling power, solubility, gelatinization enthalpy (DeltaH), and pasting properties by Brabender amylograph (BA) and rapid viscoanalyzer (RVA). Pasting temperatures for SP C/S measured by BA and RVA were significantly correlated. Due to high shear degradation in RVA, RVA viscosities of starch suspensions decreased as much as 40% during cooking at 95 degrees C, whereas the BA viscosities changed little at this temperature. There were no statistically significant differences among the C/S for amylose or DeltaH. However, significant C/S differences in swelling power, solubility, and pasting properties were observed. Although differences in some rheological and physical properties were observed for C/S starches, shear stress was statistically correlated only with DSC onset temperature (r = 0.78), indicating that factors other than the properties measured on isolated starches are mainly responsible for the texture of cooked SP C/S.