PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF CASSAVA STARCH

Cassava starch was isolated from flour of four IITA (International Ins titute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria) cassava genotypes pla nted in the dry and in the rainy season and harvested at 6, 9, 12,15 a nd 18 months after planting. The amylose contents of the starch sample s varied between 17.9 and 23.6%. Within a single genotype and planting season, no systematic changes in particle size distribution as a func tion of crop age at harvest were found; particle sizes varied between 9.5 and 12.7 mu m and between 11.8 and 13.6 mu m for samples of the dr y season and the rainy season, respectively. The starch samples varied in differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) gelatinisation temperature and exhibited peak multiplicity depending or planting season and harv est Lime. Even at a moisture dry matter ratio of 6.0 (w/w) peak multip licity was still observed, suggesting that the phenomenon is a propert y of the starch itself rather than resulting from low moisture gelatin isation.