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Rheology and microstructure of achu, a food based on taro ( Colocasia esculenta L. Schott), as affected by method of preparation
Author(s) -
Njintang Nicolas Y,
Parker Mary L,
Moates Graham K,
Mbofung Carl MF,
Smith Andrew C,
Waldron Keith W
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.2434
Subject(s) - colocasia esculenta , organoleptic , rheology , food science , absorption of water , starch , chemistry , coco , consistency index , botany , materials science , biology , composite material , artificial intelligence , computer science
The functional properties of flour and the organoleptic, rheological and microscopic characteristics of traditionally made achu were compared with those of reconstituted achu prepared from the taro variety Ibo coco. Organoleptic analyses showed that reconstituted achu was generally softer in consistency and less appreciated than traditional achu. In general with respect to functional properties, the estimated water absorption capacity, bulk density, blue value index and penetrometric index were lower for traditional achu than for reconstituted achu. In contrast, the viscosity of traditional achu was significantly higher than that of reconstituted achu. Light microscopic observations revealed that reconstituted taro achu is a smooth starch gel containing broken parenchyma cells whereas in traditional achu, the paste is mainly composed of whole cells within a starch gel. Coulter particle size analyses of achu showed a peak at median 122 µm for traditional achu whereas reconstituted‐flour achu had its median at 143 µm. All the functional, rheological and microscopic analyses reflect the higher degree of starch gelatinisation in the reconstituted achu. From this study, it is suggested that boiling the whole corms before drying could improve the texture of the reconstituted achu. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry