Assessment of yield and characterization of starch extracted using different methods from the corms of some aroids in North Bengal region of India

The members of Araceae have been less explored for their starch, and therefore, their commercial viability remains undefined. This study investigated the starch yield and quality from corms of some members of Araceae in North Bengal, India, using various extraction methods. Among these, the methods of Riley and Wickramasinghe yielded the highest starch across all species. The extracted starches were characterized through morphological, physical, biochemical, functional, and analytical parameters. Among the studied samples, Amorphophallus paeoniifolius, and Alocasia macrorrhizos showed maximum starch yield (12.968 g/100 g and 11.471 g/100 g, respectively). Granule shape (spherical/cubic/polygonal/elliptical/irregular) and size (1.313–2.813 μm), and relative crystallinity (20.389%–26.079%) varied significantly, influencing water solubility, swelling power, and gelatinization properties. Amorphophallus paeoniifolius also exhibited the highest amylose and resistant starch contents, indicating health benefits like slower digestion and gelatinization. All the starch samples also exhibited low ash, protein, phenol, amino acid, and free fatty acid contents, reflecting a considerable level of purity. Further, FTIR revealed the unique functional groups, and X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the presence of C-type starches, a distinctive feature of starch extracted from underground storage organs. The results, therefore, provide useful insights into the prospect of further characterization and utilization of such unconventional and less-utilized starch sources in industrial sectors.