Physicochemical and Functional (Performance) Perspective of Plant Based Starches: A Review

¹Jayashankari M

Department of Food Processing and Preservation Technology, Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women, Coimbatore(Tamil Nadu) 22uef010@avinuty.ac.in

²Kayalvizhi S

Department of Food Processing and Preservation Technology, Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women, Coimbatore(Tamil Nadu) 22uef013@avinuty.ac.in

³Rithani Sree B A

Department of Food Processing and Preservation Technology, Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women, Coimbatore(Tamil Nadu) 22uef020@avinuty.ac.in

⁴Jessica Hannah R

Assistant Professor

Department of Food Processing and Preservation Technology, Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women, Coimbatore(Tamil Nadu) Jessica_fppt@avinuty.ac.in

1.           ABSTRACT:
Starch is one of the most abundant biopolymers found in higher plants and is widely used in the food, pharmaceutical, textile, and biodegradable packaging industries (Singh et al., 2019; BeMiller, 2020). Among various botanical sources of starch, certain species are gaining increasing attention due to their distinctive physicochemical and functional characteristics. These are potato, cassava, banana, rice, maize, and sweet potato starches. (Zhang et al., 2021).

Potato starch is known for its high paste clarity, high swelling power, and superior viscosity, which make it more suitable for processed food formulations and thickening applications (Xu et al., 2021; Wang et al., 2022). Cassava starch finds utility for its neutral flavor, low gelatinization temperature, and versatile application potential in both food and non-food industrial sectors (Moorthy et al., 2018; Chamorro et al., 2025). Maize starch is widely prized due to its stable pasting behaviour and thermal resistance in food and packaging applications (Tester et al., 2004; Liu et al., 2020). Rice starch, since it has a fine granule size and smooth texture, is preferred in gluten- free and pharmaceutical formulations (Jane et al., 1999; Shoukat et al., 2020). Sweet potato starch exhibits high swelling power and paste viscosity, making it effective as a thickening agent in food systems (Moorthy et al., 2002; Ghoshal et al., 2019).

Banana starch, especially what is extracted from unripe fruits, contains a high proportion of resistant starch and amylose. Amylose provides functional health benefits such as reduced glycemic response. It also improves gut health, making it suitable for the development of low- glycemic and dietary fiber-enriched food products (Zhang et al., 2019; Munir et al., 2024).

This review carries out a comparative study on the structural properties, gelatinization behavior, digestibility, and industrial applications of potato, cassava, and banana starches, while summarizing recent literature and highlighting further research needs in the future in terms of starch extraction, modification, and application development (Subroto et al., 2022; Guo et al., 2023).

Keywords: Starch, potato, cassava, banana, rice, maize, sweet potato, equipment, structure, size, comparison.