Hydrogen peroxide oxidation of native starches from different biomass sources: Kinetic, structural and thermal study

Abstract

Starch is a natural, renewable, economical, and widely available polymer used as a gelling agent, thickener, binder, and potential raw material in many food products. Due to its techno-functional properties, the food and non-food industries are interested in developing starch-based materials such as films, hydrogels, starch nanoparticles, and other derivatives. This study focused on the kinetics of hydrogen peroxide oxidation of starches from four biomass sources (Yam, Cor, Pot, and Cas), as well as their structural and thermal properties. The results show that, for all the starches studied, the oxidation process is adequately described by pseudo-first-order kinetics. The crystallinity indices obtained are 27.071 ± 0.24%, 30.226 ± 0.30%, 41.170 ± 0.45%, and 36.413 ± 0.34% for Cas, Pot, Cor, and Yam, respectively. The TGA/DTG analysis highlights three phases of thermal degradation: the first is linked to the loss of residual moisture below 100°C, followed by major degradation between 150 and 310°C associated with the breakdown of glycosidic bonds. A third phase, between 310 and 550°C, is associated with the carbonization of residues, with the differences observed between starches reflecting the influence of botanical origin and structural composition on their thermal stability.