Abstract
Among imported starches to Japan, sago starch is the most inexpensive, but it is known to be of poor quality. Little has been written on the physical and chemical properties of sago starch. In order to elucidate the rheological and chemical properties of sago starch, comparative studies between sago and other starches are made in this paper.
Gelatinized sago starch was digested by B. subtilis α-amylase at 40°C with constant shaking. The decrease in the blue value of the starch was approximately similar to that of other starches. A gel filtration diagram of the hydrolyzed starch indicated a middle elution pattern, compared with the other starches. The viscosity of sago starch was lower than that of the other starches at high temperatures. The degree of gelatinization of sago starch gelatinized at 100°C in 5 min was 91%. The most noteworthy differences observed between sago and other starches were the amylogram and the degree of gelatinization.
These results indicate easy digestion of sago starch by amylase and suggest possibilities of utilization for livestock feed and various fermentations including alcohols, organic acids and antibiotics.
