Method of Sugar Production From Arrowroot Starch: A Review

Sugar production from sugar cane, palms, and beet plants could not be able to fulfill domestic sugar need in Indonesia. Moreover, there is a shift in sugarcane as a raw material for ethanol. An alternative solution to this problem is sugar production from other sources such as starch, which is widely found in local Indonesian tubers. Arrowroot tubers (Maranta arundinacea L.) are minor tubers that have potential to be used as raw material for sugar production because they contain 19.40-20.96% starch. The purpose of this study was to explore a method of producing sugar based on arrowroot starch. The method used was literature review. In general, the production of arrowroot starch-based sugar consists of extraction, hydrolysis, purification, and crystallization. Starch extraction can be done using wet or dry methods. Hydrolysis aims to break down starch into simple sugars which can be done by acid hydrolysis, enzymatic hydrolysis or a combination of both. Purification aims to remove impurities from sugar components through defecation, sulfitation, or carbonation methods. Crystallization aims to obtain sugar crystals which can be done by adding anti-solvent or cooling. Productivity and quality of arrowroot starch-based crystal sugar depend on the sugar production method used. Keywords—arrowroot starch, sugar, crystallization, extraction, hydrolysis, purification