Abstract:

The interest in starch derived materials is rapidly growing, both in industrial and basic research applications. This could be because of its availability, accessibility and eco-friendliness. This study reports the effect of modification of starch obtained from Caladium bicolor with fatty acids derived from Chrysophyllum albidum oil on the physicochemical properties. The unmodified starch together with modified one was characterized using FTIR and various physicochemical parameters. The results of FTIR analysis reveal vibration frequencies of 3283.62 cm-1, and 1018 cm-1, which affirm the presence of OH, C-O in the modified starch. Whereas the prominent peak at 1647.28 cm-1 assigned to the carbonyl(C=O) which was absent in the unmodified starch showed that modification occurred. The degree of substitution (DS) of modified starch was estimated at 0.79.The results of the physicochemical analysis showed a low amylose content of 16.95% and amylopectin of 83.05% in the unmodified starch. The swelling power, paste clarity, gelatinization temperature, water binding capacity and oil binding capacity of the modified starch were ; 63.5–72.45%, 2.03–3.2A; 76–78oC , 40.5–68.6%, 43.7–53.8% respectively. The result of the paste clarity and water binding capacity suggests that the modified starch could be used in film formation and production of adhesives in industries.