Native Starch Granules from Unconventional Peruvian Sources: Banana, Mango and Taro

The transition toward sustainable food systems has driven the use of agricultural materials and agroindustrial byproducts as alternative sources of functional ingredients. In this study, starches were isolated from Bellaco plantains, Criollo mango seeds, and Antiquorum taro using aqueous extraction, and their physicochemical, morphological, structural, rheological, and thermal properties were characterized. The amylose content ranged from 16.83% to 25.92%, values comparable to those of conventional starch sources. Taro starch exhibited the highest brightness (98.30) and whiteness index (96.56). Plantain starch exhibited larger granules, ranging in shape from oval to ellipsoidal (24.37 μm), followed by mango seed starch (15.21 μm), while taro starch had smaller, irregular, polygonal granules (6.64 μm). The diffraction patterns were of types A and C, and the Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectra confirmed bands characteristic of starchy materials. Swelling, solubility, and water absorption increased with temperature, with distinct responses at 90 °C. Plantain starch exhibited the highest peak viscosity (7003.67 cP) and setback viscosity (3789.67 cP). All starches exhibited elastic behavior, with the storage modulus (G') exceeding the loss modulus (G″), gelatinization temperatures ranging from 70.03 to 72.86 °C, different energy requirements for crystalline disruption, and maximum thermal degradation temperatures ranging from 315.58 to 319.27 °C. These results demonstrate the potential of these starches as alternative functional ingredients.