Non-Traditional Starches, Their Properties, and Applications.

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Materials Science
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Novel starches are increasingly explored from botanical sources and food wastes.
• Understanding starch physicochemical changes like gelatinization and complex formation is crucial for product development.
• Resistant starch (RS) offers potential health benefits, particularly in managing civilization diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in isolating, modifying, and characterizing novel starches.
• To inform about the properties and potential applications of starches from diverse sources.
• To highlight the role of native starches as alternatives to chemically modified ones.

Main Methods:

• Isolation and characterization of starches from various botanical sources and food wastes.
• Analysis of physicochemical properties including gelatinization, complex formation, and RS content.
• Utilizing techniques such as Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), laser diffraction, X-ray diffraction, FTIR, Raman, and NMR spectroscopies.

Main Results:

• Small starch granules exhibit unique properties suitable for applications like fat substitutes and in biodegradable plastics.
• Starches from sources like ulluco, winter squash, and quinoa show high peak viscosity, while others have low viscosity.
• High RS content was found in gelatinized lily and unripe plantain starches, with gorgon nut starch showing high slowly digestible starch.

Conclusions:

• Native starches with tailored properties can replace chemically modified starches in various applications.
• Low-digestible starches can contribute to healthier diets and disease management.
• Non-traditional starches are promising for developing biodegradable composites, edible films, and nanomaterials.