Aerogels Prepared from Enzymatically Modified Canna edulis Starch: Structure and Cyanidin-3-glucoside Adsorption...

Although canna (Canna edulis Ker) starch possesses high swelling power, it remains an underutilized resource. This study aimed to engineer highly porous, food-grade canna starch aerogels as carriers for cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G), incorporating enzymatically modified starch fractions prepared via α-amylase hydrolysis followed by lyophilization. Moderate enzymatic modification (sample AG1) effectively tailored the aerogel architecture by selectively removing amorphous regions. This targeted hydrolysis yielded a highly interconnected, hierarchical porous network with a high porosity (92%). Importantly, although this architectural transformation increased the average macroscopic pore size, it preserved mechanical integrity, as evidenced by a compressive strength exceeding 4000 kPa. In contrast, excessive hydrolysis led to pore collapse and structural failure. The AG1 aerogel exhibited a markedly enhanced C3G equilibrium adsorption capacity (43.9 mg/g), outperforming the native starch aerogel (36.0 mg/g). Adsorption data adhered to pseudo-second-order kinetics, indicating that this model provided a better description of the adsorption process, while the underlying adsorption mechanism may involve interactions between C3G and the aerogel matrix, potentially including hydrogen bonding. These results suggest that controlled enzymatically hydrolysis may provide a useful strategy for modulating the hierarchical microstructure of canna starch aerogels, thereby supporting their potential as effective carriers for sensitive bioactive compounds in functional food systems.