Isolation of plantain starch on a large laboratory scale

摘要

Isolating starch from botanical sources has been widely reported on a small laboratory scale for characterization. However, isolation processes on a large laboratory scale intended for up-scaling have rarely been studied. In general, the laboratory-scale processes studied are batch processes, which limit the production rate for intensive commercialization. This work studied a large, laboratory-scale process for isolating starch from plantain fruits. The process is simple and involves a series of inclined sieves for separating solids and liquids. Hard green (unripe) preclimacteric plantains (Musa paradisiaca L.) were collected and divided into four lots to evaluate the process. Analyses based on SEM, particle size distribution, X-ray diffraction, and thermal properties showed the reproducibility of the process, which exhibited an acceptable isolation yield (approximately 50%), purity (approximately 90%), and moisture content (approximately 5%). Moreover, the amount of damaged starch was not higher than 1.53/100 g.