Composition and Physicochemical Properties of Three Chinese Yam (Dioscorea opposita Thunb.) Starches: A Comparison Study

Abstract

The aim of this work was to compare the composition and physicochemical properties (SEM, XRD, solubility, swelling power, paste clarity, retrogradation, freeze-thaw stability, thermal property, and pasting property) of three Chinese yam (<i>Dioscorea opposita</i> Thunb.) starches (CYYS-1, CYYS-2, and CYYS-3) in Yunlong town, Haikou, Hainan Province, China. Our results show that all the CYYS gave a typical C-type X-ray diffraction pattern. The swelling power of CYYS varied from 10.79% to 30.34%, whereas solubility index was in the range of 7.84-4.55%. The freeze-thaw stability of each CYYS showed a contrary tendency with its amylose content. In addition, CYYS-3 showed the highest <i>T_o</i> (81.1 °C), <i>T_p</i> (84.8 °C), <i>T_c</i> (91.2 °C), and <i>ΔH</i> (14.1 J/g). The pasting temperature of CYYS-1 increased significantly with sucrose addition. NaCl could inhibit the swelling power of CYYS. There were significant decreases in pasting temperature and pasting time of CYYS when pH decreased.