Physico-chemical Properties and Cooking Quality of Sago Starch

Abstract

 In many tropical countries, sago starch is used as an important staple diet. Some useful properties of sago starch are discussed in this paper.
 Physical and chemical properties of sago starch were examined using the following methods. Scaning electron micros­copy was used for observing cross sections of the stem of sago palm. Viscography, swelling power, solubility, amylose content and chain length of amylopectin molecules of the starch were determind. Degree of gelatinization and retrogradation during heating of starch and standing the paste were determined by the beta-amylase and pullulanase method. Rheorogical and textural properties of sago starch were determined by dynamic visco-elasticity and tensipresser.
 Cooking quality and processing properties of sago starch were also studied from the interest in food culture. Harusame (mung bean starch noodle), blanc-manger (corn starch pudding), kuzu-zakura (traditional Japanese sweet cake, made by kuzu starch gel and filled with sweetened red bean paste), warabi-mochi (bracken root starch paste) and goma-tofu (sesame seed tofu) were prepared, using sago starch as the substitutes of the original starch materials. Differences in substitution of wheat flour by sago starch for baking were also examined. These results indicated that qualified sago starch could be used as multipurpose cooking starch and also for various processed foods.