Developments in the isolation, composition, and physicochemical properties of legume starches

Abstract

The purpose of this write-up is to discuss the recent developments in the study of the physicochemical and functional properties of legume starches. Legumes are abundantly rich in proteins,polysaccharides, vitamins, and minerals. Starch is the most important polysaccharide in the humandiet. The amylose, lipid, ash, and nitrogen content of legume starches vary in the range of 18-52%, 0.1-0.9, 0.0-0.7%, and 0.0-0.3%, respectively. The legume starches are characteristically rich inamylose, display limited swelling power, poor dispersibility in water, and vulnerable to retrogradation. The properties of legume starches reveal that they possess strong bonding chains betweenits molecules. Due to these strong bonds, legume starches have high gelatinization transition temperatures and enthalpies. Furthermore, the pasting properties are in accordance with this concept.Legume starches differ in granule morphology, gelatinization transition temperatures, and amylosecontent. There is need for modification of legume starches due to poor functionality such as easyvulnerability to retrogradation and poor processing properties when subjected to extreme of conditions. These shortcomings of legume starches are usually mitigated by annealing, heat-moisturetreatment, cross-linking, acid-thinning, oxidation, and acetylation. This review highlighted developments in the isolation, composition, morphology, physicochemical properties, and some aspect ofphysical and chemical modification of legume starches