Potato starch is an important agricultural product in Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan, with output of around 0.18 million tons/year. The present investigation was conducted to evaluate the physicochemical properties of potato starch samples manufactured in 10 factories in Hokkaido. The starch samples were analyzed for pasting properties by rapid visco analyzer (RVA), gelatinization properties by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), color components, and minerals, amylose, and resistant starch (RS) contents. The phosphorus and potassium contents of potato starches averaged 746 ppm and 681 ppm, ranging from 669 to 835 ppm and from 481 to 803 ppm, respectively. Relatively wide ranges were noted in the contents of sodium (35-134 ppm), magnesium (50-121 ppm), and calcium (34-164 ppm). RVA analysis revealed clear differences in peak viscosity (PV) and breakdown (BD) among starch samples examined. Higher contents of divalent cations, magnesium, and calcium, were associated with lower values of PV and BD, whereas the phosphorus content did not affect PV and BD. The differences in amylose content, DSC gelatinization properties and color components as well as RS content in raw starch were not large.
Keywords: Gelatinization properties; Pasting properties; Potato starch; Resistant starch.