Structural and physicochemical characterization of Sphenostylis stenocarpa (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) Harms tuber starch

Abstract Several characteristics of African Yam Bean tuber starch (AYB) were studied and compared with that of a well-known native potato starch (P). The diameter of AYB granules ranged from 5.7 μ to 49 μ with a median at 19.5 μ. During its pasting, AYB exhibited a low peak of viscosity in accordance with its low granules swelling and disintegration capacity. The gelatinization temperature of AYB was 75.2 °C while that of P was 60.4 °C. AYB was observed to be more stable during thermo-gravimetrical Analysis. Its degradation peak was observed at 308 °C while that of P was 303 °C. The X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that AYB belongs to the A-type crystalline group instead of C-type as claimed for several legumes starches. The stability of AYB and its capacity to structure starch-water systems make this resource an interesting ingredient for new food and non-food products.