Characteristics of Starch Extracted from the Stem of Pineapple Plant (Ananas comosus) - an Agro Waste from Pineapple Farms

HIGHLIGHTS

Extracts and characterizes the starch from the stem of the pineapple plant.

Pineapple stem starch shows small granule size and high gelatinization temperature.

It possesses A-type crystals and is more viscous compared to corn starch.

Results indicate the usefulness of this agro-waste starch in food industries.

Abstract

The present study focused on the use of pineapple plant stem, which is an agro-waste, for the production of starch (11.08 % ± 0.77). Characters were studied using X-ray diffraction, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and rheological methods. The granular size of stem starch was comparatively smaller than corn starch granules. The X-ray diffraction data revealed that stem starch has an A-type crystal structure. The molecular structure was similar to those obtained for native starches, which is confirmed by NMR and FTIR. The gelatinization temperature was observed to be higher than corn starch and rheological studies revealed; stem starch is more viscous than corn starch. The purity analysis showed that the harmful heavy metals were in negligible quantity and the tested pesticides were absent. This could make this a good source of starch for food industries. Results revealed that this agro-waste has a high potential for the production of good quality starch.

Keywords:
pineapple plant stem; unconventional starch; agro-waste; characterization; applications