Characterization, Functional Properties, and Resistant Starch of Freshwater Macrophytes

Abstract

Several aquatic macrophytes such as Colocasia esculenta, Eleocharis dulcis, Nelumbo nucifera, Sagittaria sagittifolia, Trapa bispinosa, and Typha angustifolia possessed carbohydrate mainly in their storage and reproductive parts. Starch morphology, total starch, and amylose content of these six freshwater plant species were determined. Their functional properties, i.e., starch crystallinity, thermal properties, and rheological behaviour were assessed. Large starch granules were in N. nucifera rhizome (>15 μm), medium-sized was N. nucifera seed (8-18 μm), while the rest of the starches were small starch granules (<8 μm). Shapes of the starch granules varied from oval and irregular with centric hilum to elongated granules with the eccentric hilum. Eleocharis dulcis corm starch had significantly higher total starch content (90.87%), followed by corms of C. esculenta (82.35%) and S. sagittifolia (71.71%). Nelumbo nucifera seed starch had significantly higher amylose content (71.45%), followed by T. angustifolia pollen (36.47%). In comparison, the waxy starch was in N. nucifera rhizome (7.63%), T. bispinosa seed (8.83%), C. esculenta corm (10.61%), and T. angustifolia rhizome (13.51%). Higher resistant starch was observed mostly in rhizomes of N. nucifera (39.34%)>T. angustifolia (37.19%) and corm parts of E. dulcis (37.41%)>S. sagittifolia (35.09%) compared to seed and pollen starches. The XRD profiles of macrophytes starches displayed in all the corms and N. nucifera seed had A-type crystallinity. The T. bispinosa seed had CA-type, whereas the rest of the starches exhibited CB-type crystallinity. Waxy starches of C. esculenta corm had higher relative crystallinity (36.91%) and viscosity (46.2 mPa s) than regular starches. Based on thermal properties, high-amylose of N. nucifera seed and T. angustifolia pollen resulted in higher gelatinization enthalpy (19.93 and 18.66 J g-1, respectively). Starch properties showed equally good potential as commercial starches in starch-based food production based on their starch properties and functionality.

Eleocharis dulcis corm: phytochemicals, health benefits, processing and food products

“…[44][45][46] Resistant starch (RS) content in some EDCSs was found to reach 374 g kg −1 , similar to that of S. trifolia tuber, and higher than that of Trapa bispinosa seed, Colocasia esculenta corm and Typha angustifolia pollen. 45 RS is well known to elicit diverse beneficial effects, particularly on gut microbiota, diabetes and obesity. 47 Relatively higher RS content is more likely to make EDCSs promising raw materials for making functional foods and pharmaceutical excipients.…”

“…EDCSs are C A ‐type starches with strong peaks at 2 θ ≈ 17° and 18° and possess high swelling power and pasting viscosity, but with relatively lower enthalpy and gelatinization temperature 43,44 . Amylose content of EDCSs ranges from 115 to 292 g kg −1 and contributes to the higher swelling power (SP); this is because the SP of starches relies on the free intra‐ and extracellular space, and amylose can disturb the lamellar organization in starches to enlarge the space, thereby facilitating water invasion 44‐46 . Resistant starch (RS) content in some EDCSs was found to reach 374 g kg −1 , similar to that of S. trifolia tuber, and higher than that of Trapa bispinosa seed, Colocasia esculenta corm and Typha angustifolia pollen 45 .…”

“…43,44 Amylose content of EDCSs ranges from 115 to 292 g kg −1 and contributes to the higher swelling power (SP); this is because the SP of starches relies on the free intra-and extracellular space, and amylose can disturb the lamellar organization in starches to enlarge the space, thereby facilitating water invasion. [44][45][46] Resistant starch (RS) content in some EDCSs was found to reach 374 g kg −1 , similar to that of S. trifolia tuber, and higher than that of Trapa bispinosa seed, Colocasia esculenta corm and Typha angustifolia pollen. 45 RS is well known to elicit diverse beneficial effects, particularly on gut microbiota, diabetes and obesity.…”

In Vitro Starch Digestibility, Rheological, and Physicochemical Properties of Water Caltrop Starch Modified with Cycled Heat-Moisture Treatment

“…It also showed solid-gel characteristics and dynamic rheological properties [5]. In other research, water caltrop also showed a great amount of resistant starch and a number of nutritional benefits; hence, water caltrops have been cultivated for years as food or traditional medicine in India and China [6,7].…”

Differential expression involved in starch synthesis pathway genes reveal various starch characteristics of seed and rhizome in lotus (Nelumbo Nucifera)

“…Lotus seed and rhizome can produce a large amount of starch unlike other crops that only have a single starch accumulating part (Guo, 2009). The starch properties of lotus seeds and rhizomes differ in physical structure and composition (Syed et al., 2021). A comparison of physicochemical properties of starches from seeds and rhizomes of lotus found that the morphologies, sizes, amylose contents, crystal properties, thermal properties, swelling powers, and hydrolysis properties were different (Man et al., 2012; Fan Zhu, 2017).…”