Characterization of the flour and starch of aroid cultivars grown in Mexico

Starch isolated from three cultivars of the Araceae family (including Colocassia and Xanthosoma genus) harvested in Veracruz, Mexico was evaluated for its morphological and physicochemical characteristics. Starch content in aroid flours ranged from 62 to 80%. The isolated starch resulted in a powder with approximately 80% purity. The starch granules of aroid cultivars exhibited a polyhedral shape without porous surfaces and a wide size range of starch particles (0.9–22 μm). Amylose content ranged from 8 to 13%, and an A-type X-ray diffraction pattern was observed for the three cultivars. The gelatinization range was approximately 11°C with T_o up to 75°C. The gelatinization and retrogradation enthalpies were low (6.6–8.6 and 2.0–2.8 J/g, respectively). The highest peak viscosity was observed with Xanthosoma sagittifolium starch (196.1 cP); this cultivar showed the highest tendency to retrogradation, as evidenced by DSC. Raw starches presented high RS fractions, but this fraction decreased in the gelatinized counterparts. Aroid flour and starch can be used for food products due to their physicochemical and digestibility characteristics.