Investigating the rate of fermentation in different starches

Abstract

In this study, the feasibility of using native cereals and root crops as raw materials was investigated by comparing their rates of fermentation. The equal amounts of samples were gelatinized, followed by enzyme hydrolysis. The Iodine solution was used to indicate completion of the fermentation process simply because iodine binds to amylose in starch to form a dark-bluish complex. When the fermentation process is complete, the brownish color of iodine persists. The results show that cassava flour has the highest rate of fermentation followed by wheat flour then maize flour and lastly rice flour. It was concluded that the difference in rates was a result of variation in starch amount, structure, protein and lipid content in analyzed samples. For good utilization of all the above starch sources, a blend between high and low starch source was recommended.