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Enzymatic esterification of starch using recovered coconut oil
Akhila Rajan1, V S Prasad, T Emilia Abraham
1Polymer Section, Chemical Science Division, Regional Research Laboratory (CSIR), Trivandrum, India. emiliatea@yahoo.com
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules
|May 30, 2006
Summary
Modified maize and cassava starches using coconut oil and lipase show enhanced thermal stability. Microwave-assisted esterification improved starch properties, reducing digestibility and viscosity for potential industrial applications.
Area of Science:
- Food Science and Technology
- Biochemistry
- Materials Science
Background:
- Starch modification is crucial for tailoring its properties for various industrial applications.
- Exploring sustainable methods for starch modification using natural resources like coconut oil is gaining importance.
- Microbial lipases offer enzymatic routes for starch derivatization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To modify maize and cassava starches using recovered coconut oil and microbial lipase.
- To evaluate the efficiency of microwave-assisted esterification compared to conventional methods.
- To assess the impact of modification on starch's thermal stability, digestibility, and viscosity.
Main Methods:
- Esterification of maize and cassava starches using recovered coconut oil and microbial lipase.
- Microwave-assisted esterification and solution/semi-solid state esterification techniques were employed.
- Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) were used for thermal stability assessment.
- alpha-Amylase digestibility and viscosity measurements were conducted.
Main Results:
- Microwave esterification yielded higher degrees of substitution (DS): 1.55 for maize starch and 1.1 for cassava starch.
- Conventional solution-state esterification of cassava starch resulted in a low DS (0.08) after 36 h, while semi-solid state yielded DS of 0.43.
- Modified starches exhibited significantly enhanced thermal stability, with decomposition onset at 492°C compared to 330°C for unmodified starch.
- Modified starches showed reduced alpha-amylase digestibility and lower viscosity.
Conclusions:
- Microwave-assisted esterification is an efficient method for modifying maize and cassava starches, yielding higher degrees of substitution.
- The modified starches demonstrate improved thermal stability and reduced enzymatic digestibility, making them suitable for high-temperature applications.
- This study highlights a sustainable approach to starch modification with potential for food and material industries.
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