STABILIZATION OF PASTE VISCOSITY OF CASSAVA STARCH BY HEAT MOISTURE TREATMENT

Cassava starch has poor paste stability during prolonged cooking. The starch was modified by heat moisture treatment. A premoistured starch (18-24% moisture) was subjected to heat treatment for 3-16h to bring about paste stability. Different types of heat treatments like moist pressure heating, dry heating and microwave heating was tried. The optimum heat treatment to bring about the paste stability was found to be 18-21% premoistured starch, which was heated at 110-degrees-C per 16h. The modified starch granules were intact and had comparatively increased sedimentation volume, oil binding capacity, amylase susceptibility, and decreaced crystallinity, water binding capacity, solubility and paste translucency. The freeze - thaw stability was excellent with modified cassava starch. Pie filling and ,,Halwa'' (an Indian sweetmeat) made from modified cassava starch had good organoleptic properties.