Effects of Dual Modification of HMT and Cross Linking on Morphological, Thermal, Digestibility, and Structural Properties of Wild Tuber (Amorphophallus abyssinicus) Starch

To examine functional, morphological, pasting, and digestibility properties, native bagana starch is subjected to physical, chemical, and dual modification respectively through heat moisture treatment, crosslinking, and combination of heat moisture and crosslinking. Accordingly, all modified starches except cross‐linked starch has showed higher solubility (heat moisture treated [23.33–27.33%] and heat moisture‐cross‐linked [21.33–26%]) and lower swelling power (2.07–3.83 g g−1) and (2.22–3.86 g g−1) respectively than native bagana starch (16.33–25%) and (2.03–6.82 g g−1). Heat moisture treated and cross‐linked starches have showed similar morphology with native starch. The lower breakdown and setback viscosities for cross‐linked starch (68.67 and 182 cp) and heat moisture‐cross‐linked starches (38.67 and 194.67 cp) have resulted in adequate capability for good shear resistance and anti‐retrogradation properties than same viscosities of native starch (126.67 and 770 cp). The in vitro digestibility of dual modified starch has resulted in good resistant starch content (26.40%) than native bagana (17.89%), heat moisture treated (15.68%), and cross‐linked (24.93%) starches. The study reveals dual modification using heat moisture and cross‐linking is an effective method to improve the physicochemical and thermal properties of starch and can advantageously result in a good resistant starch content, which is the most emphasized health issue; thus, attention should be given to broaden its application in the food industry.