Tapioca starch studies

Ayu RS, Khalina A, Harmaen AS, Zaman K, Jawaid M, Lee CH. Ayu RS, Khalina A, Harmaen AS, Zaman K, Jawaid M, Lee CH. Effect of Modified Tapioca Starch on Mechanical, Thermal, and Morphological Properties of PBS Blends for Food Packaging. Polymers (Basel). 2018 Oct 25;10(11):1187. doi: 10.3390/polym10111187.
Polymers (Basel). 2018 Oct 25;10(11). pii: E1187. doi: 10.3390/polym10111187.

Abstract. In this study, polybutylene succinate (PBS) was blended with five types of modified tapioca starch to investigate the effect of modified tapioca starch in PBS blends for food packaging by identifying its properties. Tensile and flexural properties of blends found deteriorated for insertion of starch. This is due to poor interface, higher void contents and hydrolytic degradation of hydrophilic starch. FTIR results show all starch/PBS blends are found with footprints of starch except OH stretching vibration which is absent in B40 blends. Besides, Broad O⁻H absorption in all specimens show that these are hydrogen bonded molecules and no free O⁻H bonding was found. SEM testing shows good interfacial bonding between PBS and starch except E40 blends. Therefore, poor results of E40 blends was expected. In TGA, a slightly weight loss found between 80 to 100 °C due to free water removal. Apart from this, insertion of all types of starch reduces thermal stability of blend. However, high crystallinity of starch/PBS blend observed better thermal stability but lower char yield. Starch A and B blends are suggested to be used as food wrap and food container materials while starch D blend is suitable for grocery plastic bags according to observed results.

Gurbanov R, Karadağ H, Karaçam S, Samgane G. Tapioca Starch Modulates Cellular Events in Oral Probiotic Streptococcus salivarius Strains. Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins. 2021 Feb;13(1):195-207. doi: 10.1007/s12602-020-09678-z. 

Abstract. Considering the implications of microbiota in health, scientists are in search of microbiota-oriented strategies for the effective prevention and/or treatment of a wide variety of serious diseases. A microbiota comprises diverse microorganisms with either probiotic or pathogenic properties. The fermentation of prebiotic carbohydrates by probiotic bacteria can affect host metabolism. Therefore, understanding the prebiotic-mediated metabolic modulations in probiotics is crucial to develop functional foods for the improvement of disturbed microbiota. Studies have emphasized the importance of prebiotics in probiotic therapies for mucosal diseases and highlighted the need for extensive research on oral bacteria. In the present study, the cellular events have been studied in batch cultures of probiotic Streptococcus salivarius exposed to the natural prebiotic, tapioca starch (TS). TS modulated the keystone metabolic events in Streptococcus salivarius in a dose-dependent manner. Besides increasing the live cell counts and altering the colony morphologies, TS affected the protein metabolism in terms of cellular expression and conformational changes in protein secondary structures. After treatment with TS, the nucleic acid synthesis increased and B-DNA was more than A- and Z-DNA, together with the diminished fatty acids and increased polysaccharide synthesis. The study results can be considered for the assessment of functional foods and probiotics in oral health.

Chang H, Li K, Ye J, Chen J, Zhang J. Effect of Dual-Modified Tapioca Starch/Chitosan/SiO2 Coating Loaded with Clove Essential Oil Nanoemulsion on Postharvest Quality of Green Grapes. Foods. 2024 Nov 22;13(23):3735. doi: 10.3390/foods13233735. 

Abstract. As consumer awareness regarding health and nutrition continues to increase, there is a growing demand for fresh, nutritious fruits such as green grapes. However, the short storage life and susceptibility of these fruits to spoilage lead to significant commercial losses. Currently, the plastic wrap method is commonly used to keep green grapes fresh, but this packaging effect is limited and not environmentally friendly. Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore sustainable and effective preservation methods. In this study, a high-pressure microfluidization technique was employed to prepare an essential oil nanoemulsion with a ratio of Tween 80 to clove essential oil of 1:1, and a biopolymer-based film solution was prepared using dual-modified tapioca starch and chitosan loaded with clove essential oil nanoemulsion. The dual-modified tapioca starch/chitosan/SiO2/1.25 wt % clove essential oil (DM/Ceo-1.25) solution coating was successfully applied for the packaging and preservation of fresh green grapes. Compared with the CK and polyethylene wrap (PE) groups, the DM/Ceo-1.25 coating significantly improved the quality of the green grapes, increasing the storage period of the green grapes from 4 to 8 days at room temperature. On the 10th day of storage, the coated grapes retained significantly better quality, with a hardness of 4.01 N, a titratable acidity of 1.625%, an anthocyanin content of 1.013 mg/kg, and a polyphenol content of 21.32 μg/mL. These results indicate that the DM/Ceo-1.25 solution coating developed in this study can be used as a new active material for fruit preservation and provides ideas for the development of safer and more sustainable food packaging.

Wang L, Hu Q, Huang Y, Xiong Q, Chen Y, Gan C, Zhang Y, Cui G, Cui J. Study on the preparation of sustained-release thiamethoxam microspheres by blending microcrystalline wax with tapioca starch ester or dehydroabietic acid ester as the matrix. J Environ Sci Health B. 2022;57(7):576-587. doi: 10.1080/03601234.2022.2079908. 

Abstract. The controlled release formulations (CRFs) are considered an effective way to solve damage to the environment caused by traditional pesticide formulations. To change the defects of traditional neonicotinoid formulations that dissolve quickly in soil, three types of thiamethoxam (TM) CRFs microspheres with content of 20% TM were prepared using microcrystalline wax (MK) as the matrix, laurate acid tapioca starch ester (MSK) and stearyl dehydroabietic acid ester (MDK) as the regulators of ingredient release. The release behavior of CRFs microspheres in water and soil showed that the microspheres had superior stability and different TM sustained-release periods, and TM release of the microspheres in soil was faster than that in water. The release rate is TM/MDK > TM/MSK > TM/MK. In water, the release of thiamethoxam technical was finished after 38 hours. However, for TM/MK, the release rate was 94% after 240 hours, and the release time was extended by 6 times. Meanwhile, TM/MDK has a particular pH-responsive release. Research shows that using microcrystalline wax as the matrix, by adding MSK or MDK to adjust the release of ingredients, pesticide CRFs microspheres with different release periods can be prepared to achieve the purpose of controlling the release of pesticides.

Fernandes JBM, Celestino MT, Tavares MIB, Freitas ZMF, Santos EPD, Ricci Júnior E, Monteiro MSSB. The development and characterization of Propranolol Tablets using Tapioca starch as excipient. An Acad Bras Cienc. 2019;91(1):e20180094. doi: 10.1590/0001-3765201920180094. 

 Abstract. Tapioca starch (TS) is produced from Cassaca roots and it is differentiated from other starches because it contains about 17-20% amylase and low amount of residual substances. Propranolol (POP) is a non-selective beta-adrenergic blocking agent and it is in the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. The aim of this work was to investigate the potential of TS in the development of POP tablets by means of direct compression. Its evaluation was performed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) relaxometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), uniformity of weight, drug content, disintegration, friability, hardness, dissolution test and drug release kinetics. The TS granules were spherical with mean diameter of 10.09 ± 1.85 µm. The XRD, FTIR and NMR suggested physical interaction between TS and POP. The tablets presented average diameter of 1.1 ± 0.0 cm, 0.24 ± 0.02 cm thickness and average weight of 0.544 ± 0.003 g. The hardness of tablets was 10.98 ± 0.31 N and the percentage of friability was 25.74 ± 0.08%. POP was released after 45 min and the release kinetics properly fitted the Hixson-Crowell equation.