A comparative study between two novel starch modification technologies, i.e., microwave (MI) and γ-irradiation (IR), is of important significance for their applications. The objective of this work is to compare the changes in lotus rhizome starch (LRS) subjected to single modifications by MI (thermal treatment) and IR (non-thermal treatment), and dual modification by changing the treatment sequence, i.e., microwave followed by irradiation (MI-IR) and irradiation followed by microwave (IR-MI). The amylose content of native and modified LRS varied from 14.68 to 18.94%, the highest and lowest values found for native and MI-LRS, respectively. IR-treated LRS showed the lowest swelling power (4.13 g/g) but highest solubility (86.9%) among native and modified LRS. An increase in light transmittance value suggested a lower retrogradation rate for dual-modified starches, making them more suitable for food application at refrigeration and frozen temperatures. Dual-modified LRS showed the development of fissures and dents on the surface of granules as well as the reduction in peak intensities of OH and CH2 groups in FTIR spectra. Combined modifications (MI and IR) reduced values of pasting parameters and gelatinization properties compared to native and microwaved LRS and showed improved stability to shear thinning during cooking and thermal processing. The sequence of modification also affected the rheological properties; the G' and G″ of MI-IR LRS were lower (357.41 Pa and 50.16 Pa, respectively) than the IR-MI sample (511.96 Pa and 70.09 Pa, respectively), giving it a soft gel texture. Nevertheless, dual modification of LRS by combining MI and IR made more significant changes in starch characteristics than single modifications.
Keywords: dual modification; lotus rhizome starch; microwave; modification sequence; γ-irradiation.