Taro <b><i>Colocasia esculenta</i></b> (L.) Schott Amylopectin Structure and Its Effect on Starch Functional Properties

Abstract

Abstract Flour extracted from small‐, medium‐, and large‐corm taro Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott cultivated in central Thailand had similar proximate composition, comparable calcium oxalate and amylose content, but different starch granule size and average chain length of amylopectin. Starch from the larger corm taro had a smaller average granule size and a lower average amylopectin chain length (CL avg ), a lower average external chain length (ECL avg ), and a lower average internal chain length (ICL avg ) when compared to that from the smaller corm taro. The solubility of taro starch was inversely proportional to CL avg , ECL avg , and ICL avg . Starch having a shorter CL avg , ECL avg , and ICL avg had a higher peak viscosity and breakdown. The onset ( T o ), peak ( T p ), and conclusion temperatures ( T c ) of starch gelatinization and the extent of starch paste retrogradation did not correlate with the amylopectin structure.