Physicochemical Characterization of Selected Sweet Potatocultivars and Their Starches

The uses of sweet potato tubers rely on the physicochemical and functional properties of its starch. The different properties studied from 14 lines include cooking quality, extractable starch, dry matter, starch, sugar, carotenoids, and anthocyanin. The properties of extracted starch like swelling volume, solubility, amylose content, clarity of paste, rheological properties were examined. The organic matter content of different lines almost remained the same. Starch content of the tubers was greater than 20% and the sugar content ranged from 1–3%. The extractable starch was in the range of 16–21%. The anthocyanin content was high for ST- 13, while ST- 14 was rich in carotene. The swelling volume was comparatively low and the solubility ranged from 8.81–13.65%. Most of the starches examined in this present study displayed excellent viscosity properties with peak viscosity greater than 3000 cP. This study revealed that many lines have excellent potential for use as nutritive and calorific food and as industrial raw material.