Abstract

EFFECT OF ACID HYDROLYSIS ON THE PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF COLOCASIA ESCULENTA STARCH

Ifeanyi Victor Emenike*, Gideon Owoicho Okpanachi, Abdulkarim Abubakar, Ademola Rasaq Oduola, James Akila Bwala and Umar Farouk Gaza Zarumai

ABSTRACT

Starches are widely available and have been very useful as pharmaceutical excipient due to their inertness and cheapness. Modification of native starches ameliorate some deficiencies inherent in them. Acid hydrolysis produce starches with improved fluidity and compressibility. This study was aimed at producing acid hydrolyzed starch (MCS) from Colocasia esculenta starch (NCS) modification and to evaluate their physicochemical properties using Maize Starch (MS) BP as a standard. NCS was obtained from a standard procedure of steeping the corms in water. The gelatinization temperature of NCS was determined before production of MCS by acid hydrolysis using 6 N HCl at 52oC for 24 h. The NCS and MCS obtained, was thereafter evaluated for its physicochemical characteristics namely; flow rate, angle of repose, Carr’s index, Hausner’s ratio, swelling capacity, moisture sorption capacity, moisture content, pH etc. using standard methods. SEM pictures and FTIR spectroscopy of NCS and MCS were carried out to compare changes in their morphologies and functional groups. The Colocasia esculenta corms yielded 12.31 % w/w NCS while MCS yielded 88.33 % w/w. The results of the angle of repose (NCS-28.24o; MCS-15.38o), Carr’s index (NCS-32.40 %; MCS-20.27 %), Hausner’s Ratio (NCS-1.48; MCS-1.25) revealed improvement in their flow properties and compressibility profile in comparison with MS. The SEM pictures and FTIR spectra revealed a positive effect of acid hydrolysis of NCS. The physicochemical properties seen give an insight into the use of the starches as a pharmaceutical excipient.

Keywords: Colocasia esculenta, acid hydrolysis, physicochemical properties, pharmaceutical excipient.