| Abstract: | A comparative evaluation of the flow and packing properties of starch products extracted from three sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) cultivars grown in Jamaica was done with a view to assessing their suitability as excipients in solid dosage formulations. Significant differences were observed in the properties of the starches obtained from the different sweet potato cultivars (p<0.05). The mean granular diameter ranged from 13.4 ± 0.42 (Eustace) to 20 ± 0.85 µm (Clarendon). Clarendon starch was found to be the least cohesive and bulkiest with Compressibility Index (CI) of 32.69 ± 0.28%, angle of internal flow (θi) of 12.70 ± 0.12° and maximum volume reduction (a) of 35.65 ± 1.02%, while Eustace was the most cohesive and least bulky with CI values of 37.74 ± 1.06%, θi of 19.68 ± 0.22°, and a of 43.60 ± 0.95%. The starch powders had similar bulk densities and packing fraction (p>0.05). All other fundamental properties calculated from the projected mean diameter including surface mean diameter (dvs), Heywood equivalent diameter (de) and specific surface (Sw) varied significantly (p<0.05) in a cultivar‐dependent manner but with no consistent pattern of variation among cultivars. The results indicate intravarietal variations in the packing and cohesive properties of the starches studied which may be a result of variations in the fundamental properties of the granules. These differences in properties may prove significant when predicting the behaviour of starches during handling and pharmaceutical formulations. |
