Morphological, Structural and Functional Properties of Starches from Different Legume Resources

Background: Legume is well known for its high nutrition and health care values. Considering that starch is the main carbohydrate in legume, its properties directly affect the development and utilization of legume resources. Methods: Starches were extracted from the seeds and root tubers of five legumes. The morphological, structural and functional properties of the starches were investigated and compared using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Result: The granules of kudzu, broad bean and pigeon pea starches were kidney-shaped with a large size, while groundnut and white pea starches were small granules with a mixture of irregularly polyhedral and spherical shape. The five legume starches had different apparent amylose contents and exhibited remarkably different crystalline properties. Among the samples, the relative crystallinity of kudzu starch was the highest, while pigeon pea starch had the highest short-range ordered degree. The swelling power and water solubility of the five legume starches were also varied. Furthermore, white pea starch is more susceptible to acid and enzymatic hydrolysis than the four other starches. The results are important for the processing and utilization of legume starches and can provide reference for the development of legume- based functional food.