Isolation and partial characterization of Mexican Oxalis tuberosa starch

The chemical, physicochemical and rheological characteristics of Oxalis tuberosa starch were investigated. Oxalis starch presented an apparent amylose content of 33%, similar to maize starch used as control, with a granule size between 25-50 μm with oval and elliptical shapes and A-type X-ray diffraction pattern. The gelatinization temperature of oxalis starch was 64.0°C, that was lower than the one determined in maize starch (73.0°C), with an enthalpy value of 12.2 J/g, which was similar to that of maize starch. Both oxalis and maize starch pastes behaved as weak viscoelastic systems with the elastic character (G′) predominating over the viscous character (G″). An increase in the level of solids in the pastes increased the values of the moduli. The results suggest that heating the systems (gelatinization), causes a more pronounced enhancement in the structure of the maize starch pastes than in that of oxalis starch pastes. Overall, it was concluded that due to its physicochemical, functional and rheological properties, Oxalis starch could be suitable for testing its use in the cosmetic and in the food industry.