Cereal Chem 58:286 - 290.  |  VIEW ARTICLE
Physicochemical Studies of Kuzu Starch.

A. Suzuki, S. Hizukuri, and Y. Takeda. Copyright 1981 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

The physicochemical properties of the starch of kuzu (a wild vine, Pueraria hirsuta Matsum) were studied. The starch contains 21% amylose and 124 ppm of phosphorus, which was almost exclusively in the amylopectin. The beta-amylolysis limits of the amylose and amylopectin were 76 and 57%, respectively. The average chain length of the amylopectin was 20.5, which was shorter than that (22.0) of potato amylopectin. The limiting viscosity numbers of the amylose and amylopectin were 228 and 160 ml/g (in 1 M KOH at 22.5 C), respectively. These values were considerably lower than those of potato amylose and amylopectin. The amylograph (6%) of the starch showed a low maximum viscosity (245 BU), and the viscosity was fairly stable during heating and cooling. Kuzu's amylopectin may be more resistant but its amylose less resistant to retrogradation than are those of potato starch. Granules are of the Ca crystalline type, similar to those of sweet potato starch.