Characterization of starch extracted from seeds of .

Introduction: Starch is major component in the big seeds of , however the characteristics of remain unknown.

Methods: In this study, the physicochemical and structural properties of two starch samples extracted from seeds were systematically investigated, using various techniques.

Results: The amylose contents of the two samples were 34.3 % and 35.5%, respectively. The spherical-truncated shaped starch granules possessed A-type crystallinity, and had an average diameter less than 15 μm. Compared to most commonly consumed cereal and potato starch, starch showed distinctive characteristics. For physicochemical properties, in the process of gelatinization, the starch showed similar viscosity profile to starches of some potato varieties, but starch had higher gelatinization temperature. Upon cooling, starch formed harder gels than rice starch. For structure, the molecular weight (indexed by Mw, Mn and Rz values), branching degree and the branch chain length distribution were determined.

Discussion: The results suggested that starch were different in structure from the main-stream starches. Notable differences in some starch traits between the two samples were recorded, which could be attributed to environmental factors. In general, this study provides useful information on the utilization of starch in both food and non-food industries.