Characterization of Lotus Stem Starch

Abstract

Here we have reported the isolation of starch from lotus stem (a novel source) and its physico-chemical and biological characterization. Lotus starch was found poorly soluble in water but solubility increased significantly with an increase in solution temperature. The rheological analysis revealed that viscosity of lotus starch solution was higher than corn starch. XRD and FT-IR studies together confirmed that chemical composition of both compounds is similar. However glucose analysis showed that glucose content was higher in lotus starch. DSC analysis showed that thermal stability of lotus starch was less in comparison to corn starch. Biocompatibility of the samples were examined using HaCaT cells. Result revealed that lotus starch support viability and growth (up to an optimal concentration of 100 μg/ml) of human keratinocytes. The result confirmed that lotus starch can find its potential application in drug delivery and tissue engineering.