Abstract: | Starch from six clonal selections of Dioscorea rotundata was isolated by standard procedure. The yield was between 20–24%. Various properties of these starches were compared. Granule size, 2% viscosity, peak viscosity, clarity, sol stability, total and soluble amylose contents were studied and only small variations were observed in the properties except paste viscosities among the clonal selections. The phosphorus content of Dioscorea starch was found to be three times as much as cassava starch, but low compared to potato starch. The higher gel strength of D. rotundata starch paste compared to cassava gel may be attributed to the phosphate linkages among the starch molecules in the granules. |