Food Hydrocolloids xxx (2015) 1e5

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Food Hydrocolloids
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/foodhyd

Functional properties of arrowroot starch in cassava and sweet potato

composite starches
Albert Linton Charles a, *, Kemston Cato a, Tzou-Chi Huang b, Yung-Ho Chang c,
Jhih-Ying Ciou g, Jenq-Sheng Chang d, f, Hsin-Hung Lin d, e
a
Department of Tropical Agriculture and International Cooperation, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung 91201, Taiwan
b
Department of Food Science, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung 91201, Taiwan
c
Department of Food and Nutrition, Providence University, Taichung 43301, Taiwan
d
Taiwan Association for Food Professional Technologist, Ilan 26047, Taiwan
e
Department of Hospitality Management, Ming Dao University, Changhua 52345, Taiwan
f
Quality Restriction Team, Quality Assurance Department, President Chain Store Corp., Taoyuan 32061, Taiwan
g
Department of Food Science, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Root and tuber composite flours and/or starches can meet industrial requirements of carbohydrate-based
Received 15 July 2014 food products since they gelatinize at relative low temperatures with rapid and uniform swelling of
Received in revised form granules, and they exhibit a high viscosity profile compared to cereal starches. Arrowroot starch (10, 20,
26 November 2014
30, and 40%, respectively) was mixed in cassava and sweet potato starches and their resulting composite
Accepted 22 January 2015
Available online xxx
gels were investigated for their gelatinization enthalpies, pasting, and freeze-thaw properties. Peak
viscosities of composite starches significantly increased (P < 0.05) from 224.45 to 360.25 RVU in cassava
mix, to 306.65e580.25 RVU in sweet potato mix. The gelatinization enthalpies of sweet potato and
Keywords:
Arrowroot
cassava composite starches were significantly affected, which suggested that the thermal energy during
Cassava gelatinization to break the structural element in starch granular packing was substantially altered with
Sweet potato increasing increments of AS. This meant that granular intermolecular bond increased, whereas granule
Hydrocolloidal functions swelling decreased. The addition of AS minimized freeze-thaw damage by reducing the available water
Pasting properties to form ice crystals in cassava and sweet potato gel pastes after the first freeze-thaw cycle. This
confirmed that partial substitution of cassava and sweet potato starches with AS formed a paste with
improved freeze-thaw stability. Addition of arrowroot starch to cassava and sweet potato starches
apparently improved gel stability and may find use in modulating gelling properties of these starches in
commercial products.
© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
Arrowroot refers to any plant of the genus marantha, but the
term is most commonly used to describe the easily digested starch
obtained from the rhizomes of marantha arundinacae. Other plants
that produce similar starches include East Indian Arrowroot
(cucurma angustifolia); Queensland arrowroot (cannaceae Family);
Brazilian Arrowroot (Euphorbiaceous family) and Florida arrowroot
(Zamia pumila). Arrowroot is a large perennial herb found in rain-
forest habitats. The plant is naturalized in Florida, but is chiefly
* Corresponding author. Tel.: þ886 8 7740286; fax: þ886 8 774 0446.
E-mail address: alcharles@mail.npust.edu.tw (A.L. Charles).
grown in the West Indies (Jamaica and St. Vincent), Australia, South
East Asia, and South and East Africa.
The few studies that exist on arrowroot starch include the car-
boxymethylation of arrowroot starch (Kooijman, Ganzeveld,
Manurung, & Heeres, 2003), gelatinization profiles for arrowroot
starch (Hoover, 2001), and Erdman (1986) compared some physical
properties of St Vincent commercial starch to US-grown arrowroot
starch. Since the volume of research on arrowroot starch is scarce,
the objectives of this study were therefore, to study the behaviour
of arrowroot starch in composite starches.
Root and tuber starches gelatinize at relatively low tempera-
tures, with rapid and uniform swelling of granules. They also
exhibit a high viscosity profile and high paste clarity compared to
cereal starches, although they retrograde easily (Craig, Maningat,
Seib, & Hoseney, 1989). These starches have unique physico-

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2015.01.024
0268-005X/© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Please cite this article in press as: Charles, A. L., et al., Functional properties of arrowroot starch in cassava and sweet potato composite starches,
Food Hydrocolloids (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2015.01.024
2 A.L. Charles et al. / Food Hydrocolloids xxx (2015) 1e5
chemical properties, primarily, due to their amylose and amylo-
pectin ratio, and (Hoover, 2001) reports that most root and tuber
starches exhibit a typical B-type X-ray pattern. Wheat starch has
higher phospholipids and produces a starch paste with lower
transmittance than potato (Hoover, 2001). On the other hand,
among all the commercial starches, potato starch exhibits the
highest swelling power and gives the highest viscosity of pasting
properties (Mitch, 1984). Phosphorus, a non-carbohydrate constit-
uent, is found in potato starch with relatively high values and may
affect the functional properties of the starch. However, one of the
major problems to be solved using starches is their high solubility
in water (Curvelo, Carvalho, & Agnelli, 2001; Guimara ~es, Wypych,
Saul, Ramos, & Satyanarayana, 2010); thus, their composites will
demonstrate high hydrophilicity. The uses of composite flours and
or starches often alter their compositions, and may therefore
change the functional and pasting characteristics of the final
product (Osungbaro, Jimoh, & Osundeyi, 2010).
Gelatinization, manifested by irreversible changes such as
swelling, crystallite melting, and starch solubilization is the
disruption of molecular order within the starch granules when they
are heated in water; whereas retrogradation defines the reassoci-
ation of gelatinized starch molecules resulting in more ordered
structures. These ordered structures in turn influence starch
physical properties such as viscosity of gels and pastes. Viscosity is
largely influenced by granule shape and swelling power,
amylopectin-amylose entanglement, and amylose and amylopectin
granular interaction (Charles, Huang, & Chang, 2008; Hoover,
2001).
Studies on native starch have shown that different factors such
as amylose leaching, starch processing conditions (e.g. pasting
temperature, shearing, and heating rate) (Charles et al., 2008) in-
fluence the functional properties of starch suspensions and gels.
Comparatively, composite starches offer the opportunity to create
novel or enhanced hydrocolloidal functions in our foods. Hence, our
objectives were to determine the pasting, gelatinization, and freeze
stability properties of combinations of sweet potato, cassava, and
industrially-prepared arrowroot starches.
2. Material and methods
Industrial arrowroot starch was received as a gift from the St.
Vincent Arrowroot Association. Sweet potato and cassava starches
were bought from the local food market in Pingtung, Taiwan. Starch
samples were stored in desiccators at room temperature.
2.1. Rapid Visco Analyser measurements of starch
The pasting properties of all composite starches were analyzed
in triplicates with a Rapid Visco Analyser (RVA 4) controlled by
Thermocline for Windows (version 2.2, Newport Scientific Pty Ltd.,
Warriewood, Australia). Samples for RVA tests contained 3 g of
starch and 25 g of water. The RVA pasting curve was analyzed to
determine a series of characteristic parameters of: initial viscosity
(viscosity during 50  C holding period); pasting temperature
(temperature at which viscosity starts to increase); peak viscosity
(maximum viscosity during heating to or hold at 95  C); trough
viscosity or holding strength (minimum viscosity after peak vis-
cosity has been reached); and final viscosity (viscosity at end of
run) (Tan, Torley, & Halley, 2008).
2.2. Differential scanning calorimetry of composite starches
A TA 2920 Modulated Temperature DSC (MTDSC; TA In-
struments Inc., New Castle, Delaware, USA) was used to investigate
the gelatinization process and thermal properties of the composite
Please cite this article in press as: Charles, A. L., et al., Functional properties of arrowroot starch in cassava and sweet potato composite starches,
Food Hydrocolloids (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2015.01.024
starches. Starch-solution concentrations of 10% (0.3 g of starch in
2.5 g of water or hydrocolloid solution) of known moisture content
were selected for modulated temperature differential scanning
calorimetry (MTDSC) studies to correspond to the concentrations
used for RVA studies. The starches were mixed with the required
amount of solvents and left to equilibrate overnight at room tem-
perature. Test samples were carefully weighed (<20 mg) into
aluminium pans and hermetically sealed. The scan intervals were
10e100  C for all starches. A heating rate of 5  C/min was chosen
and the modulation was set at ±1  C for every 60 s. These condi-
tions were selected to minimize error that may result from
incomplete modulation of the sample volume. At least duplicate
analyses were conducted for each starchesolution combination.
The Universal Analysis software was used to analyze the DSC to
determine the onset (To), peak (Tp), end temperatures (Te), and
enthalpy of the starch gelatinization transition. In MTDSC, the
sample experiences a sinusoidal modulation (oscillation) overlaid
on the conventional linear heating or cooling ramp, which provides
the benefits of separating the total heat flow signal into its heat
capacity (reversible thermal event) and kinetic components (irre-
versible event, in this case the gelatinization process) (Tan et al.,
2008).
2.3. Freeze-thaw stability of arrowroot starch
Freeze-thaw stability of composite starch samples was investi-
gated by submitting the gelatinized starch pastes to alternate
freezing and thawing cycles (freezing for 24 h at 18  C and
thawing for 1.5 h at 30 ± 2  C) (White, Abbas, & Johnson, 1989). Five
percent starch pastes was prepared by heating a starch sample in
the required amount of water at 95  C water bath for 30min and
pouring in a previously weighed 10 mL centrifuge tube. Weights of
the centrifuge tubes were recorded and subsequently frozen. Tubes
were subjected to freeze-thaw cycles, followed by centrifugation at
6000 rpm for 30 min, then the percentage of water separated after
each freeze-thaw cycle was measured. The weight of water was
measured and the extent of syneresis was expressed as the per-
centage of water separated (Jayati, Singha, & Kulkarni, 2002). The
following equation was used to calculate syneresis.
Syneresis ð%Þ ¼½Water separated ðgÞ=
 Total weight of sample ðgÞ  100
2.4. Statistical analysis
All samples were analyzed in triplicate. The general linear model
and multiple regression analysis (SAS Institute, Cary, NC) were used
to analyze the data. Correlation analysis between two sets of data
were performed using the CORREL analysis tool of Microsoft Excel,
which calculates the covariance of the data sets divided by the
product of their standard deviations.
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Granule morphology of arrowroot starch
Starch granules of M. arundacecae ranged in size from 9.47 to
22.47 mm. Most of the arrowroot starch granules showed a wide
distribution range, which included a mixture of large (elliptical to
oval), intermediate (oval), and small (oval to elliptical) granules
(Fig. 1). The granular surfaces of all starch granules appeared to be
smooth and showed no evidence of fissures. All of the large gran-
ules were regularly shaped, although a few broken granules
indicated that very little fragmentation occurred during industrial
 A.L. Charles et al. / Food Hydrocolloids xxx (2015) 1e5 3

increments of arrowroot starch (Tables 1 and 2), which explained

Fig. 1. Arrowroot starch SEM.
isolation and processing of the arrowroot starch. Based on the
literature, granular size of arrowroot starch is larger than sweet
potato and cassava.
3.2. Pasting characteristics of arrowroot starch
When starch granules are heated with sufficient water, the
starch suspension swells markedly and the viscosity of the system
increases dramatically. Industrial arrowroot starch exhibited stable
viscosity with slight breakdown during the holding period at
92.5  C, but high setback upon cooling down (Table 1). Moreover,
the arrowroot starch sample exhibited a pasting temperature of
78.05  C and reached a peak viscosity of 310.6 RVU in peak time of
4.31 min during the heating cycle. Comparatively, cassava and
sweet potato starches exhibited low peak viscosities, whereas both
starches recorded lower and higher pasting temperatures, respec-
tively, but with similar pasting times as the arrowroot starch.
Blending both root tuber starches with arrowroot starch resul-
ted in a variety of RVA properties. Peak, breakdown, final, and
setback viscosities of composite sweet potato and cassava starches
were higher than those of control starches, and increased with
the properties of arrowroot starch on the pasting properties of
sweet potato and cassava starches. This pasting behaviour may be
attributed to the swelling behaviour of arrowroot starch beyond the
gelatinization temperature (Table 3) or to the different swelling
behaviours (lower) of cassava and sweet potato starches as re-
ported in the literature. Apparently, stirrer shearing resulted in
increased paste viscosities of the composite starches prior to
reaching 95  C.
Compared to the original starches, the composite starches
exhibited little breakdown after heating at 95  C for 6 min. Low
breakdown apparently indicated the ability of the composite starch
samples to withstand heating and shear stress during cooking. This
could mean that there was restricted swelling of the starch granule,
probably due to the mucilage component of the starches behaving
as a glue within the gel matrix or due to the formation of cross-
linking reinforced by hydrogen-bonding by association of amylose-
amylopectin released from partially gelatinized starch granules.
During the cooling cycle, the final viscosity of all starch pastes
increased rapidly due to the formation of a large number of inter-
molecular hydrogen bonds, which leads to gel formation at low
temperature (Leelavathi, Indrani, & Sidhu, 1987). Final viscosity
indicates the ability of starch to form a paste after cooling and
increased paste stability is accompanied with low breakdown
values. Setback viscosity, the secondary increase during the cooling
phase, is associated with the retrogradation phenomenon and re-
lates to amylose content (Mishra & Rai, 2006). Industrial arrowroot
starch gave higher setback values compared to cassava and sweet
potato starches, indicating arrowroot starch's higher retrogradation
tendency or lower resistance to retrogradation. Hoover (2001) re-
ported similar results and based the phenomenon on a high
amount of amylose present and to longer amylose-amylopectin
chains which leads to more intermolecular association and thus
higher retrogradation. The composite starches, however, exhibited
significantly lower setback values, apparently due to the develop-
ment of new gel properties including pasting temperatures, which
increased with increments of arrowroot starch, greater degree of
viscosity breakdown, and lower setback values than the individual
starches. Apparently, the degree of granular disruption was

Table 1
RVA properties of cassava-arrowroot composite starch.a,b

Samplec Ratio Peak viscosity Trough viscosity Breakdown Final viscosity Setback Peak time Pasting temp.
c
AS 310 ± 3c 208 ± 5a 101 ± 8b 328 ± 3a 119 ± 3a 4 ± 0b 78 ± 0ba
CSc 224 ± 5e 141 ± 3d 83 ± 1c 172 ± 3g 31 ± 0d 4 ± 0b 61 ± 2c
AS þ CS 10 334 ± 1b 173 ± 1bc 160 ± 0a 221 ± 1ef 47 ± 1dc 4 ± 0b 75 ± 0ba
AS þ CS 20 345 ± 2a 183 ± 5bc 109 ± 8ab 237 ± 5d 53 ± 1dc 4 ± 0b 75 ± 0ba
AS þ CS 30 270 ± 6d 160 ± 2dc 148 ± ba 209 ± 1fg 49 ± 1dc 4 ± 0b 78 ± 1ba
AS þ CS 40 351 ± 3a 202 ± 2bc 143 ± 0ba 260 ± 1d 57 ± 1dc 5 ± 0a 89 ± 0a
a
RVA parameters are the mean of two determinations.
b
Values followed by different letters in the same column are significant at P < 0.05 level.
c
Arrowroot Starch (AS), Cassava Starch (CS).

Table 2
RVA properties of sweet potato-arrowroot composite starch.a,b

Samplec Ratio Peak viscosity Trough viscosity Breakdown Final viscosity Setback Peak time Pasting temp

AS 310 ± 3c 208 ± 5b 101 ± 8d 328 ± 3a 119 ± 3a 4 ± 0b 78 ± 0ba

SPS 306 ± 9c 134 ± 3f 171 ± 5c 227 ± 4b 92 ± 0b 4 ± 0b 60 ± 12c
AS þ SPS 10 350 ± 5cb 156 ± 3e 194 ± 1b 235 ± 3b 79 ± 0c 4 ± 0b 72 ± 0b
AS þ SPS 20 339 ± 7cb 163 ± 3d 181 ± 2bc 252 ± 4b 86 ± 5ba 4 ± 0b 72 ± 1b
AS þ SPS 30 364 ± 1cb 178 ± 1c 183 ± 0b 267 ± 0b 87 ± 0ba 5 ± 0a 91 ± 0a
AS þ SPS 40 580 ± 0a 280 ± 2a 299 ± 2a 339 ± 0a 58 ± 4d 4 ± 0b 72 ± 0b
a
RVA parameters are the mean of two determinations.
b
Values followed by different letters in the same column are significant at P < 0.05 level.
c
Arrowroot Starch (AS), Sweet Potato Starch (SPS).

Please cite this article in press as: Charles, A. L., et al., Functional properties of arrowroot starch in cassava and sweet potato composite starches,
Food Hydrocolloids (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2015.01.024
4 A.L. Charles et al. / Food Hydrocolloids xxx (2015) 1e5

Table 3 Aguilera and Baffico (1997), arrowroot starch granules actively

Gelatinization properties of native and composite cassava-arrowroot starches.a participated in the composite starch gel structure formation by
Sample Ratio Tob ( C) Tcb ( C) Tpb ( C) DHc (J/g starch) removing water from the transient solution during swelling and
AS 76 ± 0a 86 ± 0a 80 ± 0a 11 ± 0b
acted as particulate fillers in the final gel. We hypothesized that loss
Cassava 70 ± 2b 81 ± 1cb 74 ± 1c 14 ± 0a of moisture from the amorphous regions, not only led to restricted
CS þ ASd 10 80 ± 2a 84 ± 1b 89 ± 1a 12 ± 0cb chain mobility, but suppressed mobility of the amorphous regions;
CS þ AS 20 70 ± 0b 79 ± 0c 74 ± 0c 12 ± 0cb consequently, the amorphous regions would require a higher
CS þ AS 30 69 ± 2b 79 ± 2c 74 ± 0c 12 ± 0cb
temperature to incur swelling that could contribute to the disrup-
CS þ AS 40 79 ± 0a 88 ± 0a 82 ± 0b 10 ± 0d
tion of the crystalline regions (Lim, Chang, & Chung, 2001). Differ-
a
All data reported on dry basis and represent the mean þ SD of two de-
ences in size, form, and fragility (Aguilera & Baffico, 1997) of
terminations. Means within each column with different letters for native starch and
its composites are significantly different (P < 0.05) by Duncan multiple test.
composite starches might have led to nonuniform swelling of the
b
To, Tp, and Tc represent the gelatinization temperature range onset, peak, and individual composite starch granules could be used to explain the
conclusion temperatures. differences observed in (To), (Tp) and (Tc) with incremental in-
c
DH represents the gelatinization enthalpy. creases of arrowroot starch (10e40% in the composite starches
d
Arrowroot Starch (AS), Cassava Starch (CS).
(Tables 3 and 4)). The gelatinization enthalpy of sweet potato and
cassava starches were significantly affected by the addition of
lowered in the composite starches, compared to the individual arrowroot starch, which suggested that the thermal energy
starches. These findings indicated the differences in physical and involved during gelatinization to break the structural element in
chemical properties, which determined the application of these starch granular packing was substantially altered in the presence of
composite starches in various industrial and food processing ap- 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% arrowroot starch (Tables 3 and 4).
plications. One interesting observation is the large granule size of The DSC results confirmed that increments of arrowroot starch
arrowroot starch, which apparently enhanced viscosity and resis- resulted in significant changes in enthalpy of the composite
tance to breakdown exhibited by the composite starches. starches; sweet potato composite starch exhibited an increasing
trend, whereas cassava composite starch exhibited a decreasing
3.3. Gelatinization characteristics of arrowroot starch trend in enthalphy changes, respectively. This also confirmed the
RVA findings that point towards arrowroot starch as a suitable
To understand more fully the impact of arrowroot starches on hydrocolloid to use in composite starch combinations. Since this
sweet potato and cassava starches, we investigated heat flow sig- study used different types of starches, DSC tests investigation gave
nals of DSC endotherm starches gelatinization that revealed a good indication as to whether the addition of arrowroot starch
significant variation in their gelatinization transition. The gelatini- could have the same effect on the gelatinization of starches from
zation temperature parameters [onset (To), peak temperature (Tp), different botanical sources.
conclusion (Tc)], gelatinization temperature range (TceTo), and
gelatinization enthalpy (DH) on a dry starch basis are presented in
3.4. Freeze-thaw stability of arrowroot starch
Tables 3 and 4. The gelatinization temperatures recorded for in-
dustrial arrowroot starch were similarly high as that reported for
Freeze-thaw stability is important in the food industry. In cold
laboratory-prepared arrowroot starch in Srichuwong, Sunarti,
chain storage, thermal fluctuations and consequent phase changes
Mishima, Isono, and Hisamatsu (2005). SPS and CS recorded lower
of water are the main causes of deterioration in frozen foods,
gelatinisation temperatures than arrowroot starch. The moisture
especially in the gel matrix of starch (Pongsawatmanit &
content of composite starches ranged from 9 to 11%, indicating their
Srijunthongsiri, 2008). During cold storage, the reorganization of
low moisture status in the study. Apparently, the inclusion of larger
starch molecules may result in the release of water (or syneresis)
AS granules led to a close-packed matrix in the composite starches,
and this may affect the functional properties in terms of viscosity or
and loss of moisture from the amorphous regions led to the for-
gel behaviour (Pongsawatmanit & Srijunthongsiri, 2008). Water
mation of interchain and intrachain hydrogen bonding (Zeleznak &
separation from gelatinized arrowroot starch pastes significantly
Hoseney, 1987). This close packing of starch granules prevented the
decreased with increasing numbers of freezeethaw cycles (Tables 5
expansion and rupture of starch granules (Aguilera & Baffico, 1997).
and 6). These results suggested that the retrograded starch network
Consequently, the larger arrowroot starch granules absorbed more
or structure was not easily disrupted by ice crystal formation and as
water, leading to less water available for the composite starches.
a result, water separation was lowered upon thawing. In this study,
Hence, the concentration of the arrowroot starch increased in the
water separation from the gelatinized arrowroot paste decreased
remaining water, which led to an increased viscosity. Based on
from 38.85 % to 2.04 % after 1 to 3 freeze-thaw cycles, respectively.

Table 4
Gelatinization properties of native and composite sweet potato-arrowroot starches.a
Table 5
Sample Ratio Tob ( C) Tcb ( C) Tpb ( C) DHc (J/g starch) Freeze-thaw values of native and composite cassava-arrowroot starches.a

AS 76 ± 0b 86 ± 0a 80 ± 0b 11 ± 0b Sampleb Ratio Day

SPS 68 ± 0d 78 ± 0c 74 ± 0d 12 ± 0c
1 2 3
SPS þ ASd 10 72 ± 0c 81 ± 1c 76 ± 0cb 12 ± 1c
SPS þ AS 20 79 ± 0a 88 ± 0a 84 ± 1a 11 ± 1b AS 38 ± 0b 6 ± 2b 2 ± 0d
SPS þ AS 30 82 ± 0a 89 ± 1a 86 ± 0a 13 ± 0a CS 41 ± 0a 0.4 ± 0e 0.49 ± 1e
SPS þ AS 40 78 ± 0a 85 ± 0b 76 ± 0cb 13 ± 0a CS þ AS 10 38 ± 0b 9 ± 6a 7 ± 4a
a CS þ AS 20 38 ± 2b 2 ± 1c 4 ± 3b
All data reported on dry basis and represent the mean þ SD of two de-
CS þ AS 30 39 ± 0ab 1 ± 0d 2 ± 1c
terminations. Means within each column with different letters for native starch and
CS þ AS 40 39 ± 2a 2 ± 1c 0.89 ± 0e
its composites are significantly different (P < 0.05) by Duncan multiple test.
b a
To, Tp, and Tc represent the gelatinization temperature range onset, peak, and All data reported on dry basis and represent the mean þ SD of three de-
conclusion temperature, respectively. terminations. Means within each column with different letters for native starch and
c
DH represents the gelatinization enthalpy. its composites are significantly different (P < 0.05) by Duncan's multiple test.
d b
Arrowroot Starch (AS), Sweet Potato Starch (SPS). Arrowroot Starch (AS), Cassava Starch (CS).

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 A.L. Charles et al. / Food Hydrocolloids xxx (2015) 1e5 5

Table 6 Consequently, the addition of arrowroot starch demonstrated a

Freeze-thaw values of native and composite sweet potato-arrowroot starches.a wide range of physical and chemical properties that could be used
Sampleb Ratio Day in foods with no or minimal modification. Moreover, the pasting
1 2 3
and functional properties of the composite starches indicated that
the starches could be used as a desirable food ingredient in starch-
AS 38 ± 0c 6 ± 2a 2 ± 0a
based foods.
SPS 41 ± 0b 0.75 ± 0d 0 ± 0f
SPS þ AS 10 44 ± 1a 1 ± 0c 0.3 ± 0c
SPS þ AS 20 39 ± 1c 2 ± 0b 0.5 ± 0b
SPS þ AS 30 43 ± 0a 1 ± 0c 0.04 ± 0b Acknowledgements
SPS þ AS 40 42 ± 0b 1 ± 1c 0.05 ± 0b
a
All data reported on dry basis and represent the mean þ SD of three de- The research generating these results was funded by the
terminations. Means within each column with different letters for native starch and National Science Council of Taiwan grant no. NSC 100－2313－B－
its composites are significantly different (P < 0.05) by Duncan's multiple test. 020－004－.
b
Arrowroot Starch (AS), Sweet Potato Starch (SPS).

Water separation or syneresis of composite pastes at mixing
ratios of 10/90, 20/80, 30/70, and 40/60 (Tables 5 and 6) were lower
than that of the control. In addition, the degree of water separation
from gelatinized AS-cassava or -sweet potato mixtures compared
with that of AS paste decreased with an increase in the AS content,
indicating that arrowroot starch adsorbed more water, leading to
less water available in the system leading to and the reduced
syneresis. A sharp increase in % syneresis of all starches was
observed during the first 20 h, and the syneresis slowed down af-
terwards. The high initial rates of syneresis were attributed to
crystallization of amylose fraction and the long-term changes were
due to reversible crystallization of amylopectin (Miles, Morris,
Orford, & Ring, 1985).
The results suggested that AS addition minimized freezeethaw
damage by reducing the available water to form ice crystals in the
composite starch pastes after the first freezeethaw cycle. This
confirmed that partial substitution of the starches with AS formed a
paste with improved freezeethaw stability. Arrowroot starch had
low syneresis, and therefore high stability, in refrigeration and
freezing cycles (Table 5). The amount of water separated from the
composite starch gels during freezing decreased with storage time.
Baker and Rayas-Duarte (1998) have reported similar behaviour for
corn starches, mentioning low freezingethawing gel stability for
corn and amaranth starches. Likewise, Bello-Perez, Agama-
Acevedo, Sanchez-Hernandez, and Paredes-Lopez (1999) found
low gel stability in these same processes for plantain and banana
starches. Arrowroot starch's high gel stability under these condi-
tions suggested it was suitable for use in food systems involving
refrigeration or freezing processes.
4. Conclusions
The pasting, thermal, and freeze-thaw results indicated arrow-
root starch as a potential hydrocolloid to use in starch combina-
tions. The composite starches exhibited better thermal stability and
high resistance to retrogradation, which were confirmed by high
freeze-thaw stability properties (low syneresis) and the presence of
lower setback RVA viscosities. It is important to note that gelati-
nization properties of the composite starches were intermediate
between the values of individual components, which meant that
these individual components may have gelatinized independently.
When the two components in the mixture gelatinized at a similar
temperature range more interaction between two components
could take place causing more changes in pasting properties.
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Please cite this article in press as: Charles, A. L., et al., Functional properties of arrowroot starch in cassava and sweet potato composite starches,
Food Hydrocolloids (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2015.01.024