Physicochemical Characteristics of Indonesian Native Starch

Abstract

Indonesia has many local starch sources, including rice, taro, arrowroot, sago, corn, konjac, cassava, and elephant foot yam (suweg). Several uses of natural starch have been widely used as the primary raw material or as a food additive. Natural starch generally has some drawbacks limiting its use, such as color, solubility index, retrogradation, and paste stability. Starch modification is needed to improve these limitations. Starch modification is carried out physically and chemically. In this chapter, the authors will discuss the physical and chemical characteristics of several local Indonesian starches, both natural and modified, and their potential to be developed as food ingredients.