Thermal, rheological, and structural characteristics of banana starches isolated using ethanol

Starch is used to modify the properties of several food and non-food products. There is an increasing interest in isolating starch from several sources, employing different methods, including alkaline and non-alkaline treatments. The isolation method has an important effect on the physicochemical properties of the starch. Here, the effect of a different isolation method, using only ethanol for the extraction on the thermal, rheological, and structural characteristics of starch from four varieties of banana was evaluated. The proposed isolation process was easy and required a minimum of steps to follow. The isolated starches showed less purity, resulting in a lower capacity in pasting formation. The structural parameters were slightly affected by the isolation method; nevertheless, a better response in gel formation was obtained as a typical behavior of stronger gels was observed. This might be an advantage to the use of these starches as additives or ingredients in food products.