Taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) Corms and Cormels Cultivated in Brazil as Plant-Based Food Ingredients: Nutritional, Microstructural, and Pasting Properties

Taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) is a carbohydrate-rich tuber crop cultivated in Brazil, with potential for the development of plant-based food ingredients. However, taro corms are less commercially valued than cormels, despite their possible nutritional and technological relevance. This study compared the physicochemical, nutritional, microstructural, and pasting properties of taro corms (C), cormels (CL), and their isolated starches (CS and CLS). Cormels showed lighter and more homogeneous pulp, whereas corms had greater size and shape regularity. Nutritionally, corms contained higher total dietary fiber and calcium contents, while cormels showed higher protein, available carbohydrate, and potassium contents. SEM analysis revealed small starch granules with sub-spherical to polyhedral morphology, with CS showing larger average diameter, perimeter, and area than CLS. Regarding pasting properties, C, CL, CS, and CLS showed pasting temperatures close to 80 °C. CL exhibited higher peak, final, and setback viscosities, as well as greater gel hardness, suggesting suitability for products requiring structure and consistency. In contrast, C showed lower breakdown and setback, indicating greater thermal stability and lower retrogradation tendency. Isolated starches showed lower viscosities than the corresponding whole fractions, which may be associated with the removal of non-starch components. Overall, taro corms and cormels showed complementary nutritional and technological properties, supporting their potential use as differentiated plant-based ingredients for food applications and the valorization of underutilized taro fractions.