Curcuma as a natural source of starch

Abstract

Starch is the most widely available carbohydrate and a major component of various rhizomatous perennial tubers/herbs. It is one of the major components of human nutrition and provides about 70-80% of the calories consumed by humans worldwide. Since, most of the conventional sources are being over exploited, exploring the new botanical sources of starch are required to ease the pressure on the traditional sources. Starch is not only known for its nutritional value, but also for its industrial applications. Starch is composed mainly of two polymers - amylose and amylopectin. The proportion of these two polymers in native starch varies from 20 to 30% for amylose and from 70 to 80% of amylopectin. There are many starch rich tuber crops like potato, tapioca and sweet potato. Apart from the common starch rich crops, there are some underutilized starch rich rhizomatic crops with medicinal and nutritive values; they are popularly called as arrow roots. Major types of arrow root used in India are discussed here