Nutritional value of lotus root starch

Abstract

The nutritional value of lotus root starch was compared with that of kudzu (Pueraria lobata), cassava, and corn starch. In vitro digestion studies showed that the digestibility of lotus root starch tended to slightly exceed that of other starches. Twenty-four 4-week-old male Wistr rats were divided into four groups and each group was fed a 12% casein diet containing 50% lotus root starch, kudzu starch, cassava starch, and corn starch, respectively. After 4 weeks of feeding, body weight, liver weight, white adipose tissue weight, and serum triacylglycerol concentration in the lotus starch group were similar to those of the cassava and corn starch groups and slightly higher than those of the kudzu starch group. These results indicate that the nutritional value of lotus root starch exceeds that of kudzu starch and is comparable to that of corn and cassava starch.