Recent advances in modifications and applications of sago starch

Sago palm (Metroxylon sagu) is a sustainable source of starch with a high productivity. However, sago starch is much underutilized compared to commonly used starches such as maize and potato starches. In recent years, there has been increasing interest in using sago starch for diverse food and nonfood applications. Sago starch was modified by various physical and chemical methods to obtain a range of functional properties. The starch in native and modified forms was used in many different applications such as in composite film formation and pharmaceutical applications. In the majority of the published research, the uses of sago starch for different applications were not compared to those of other industrially important starches. The comparison using the same experimental conditions should be done in the future to support the production and exploitation of sago starch. At a fundamental level, the structural, functional, and nutritional properties of sago starch were compared with some of the other starches. Overall, technical, environmental, and economic considerations suggested that sago starch has potential to be competitive in the global starch market for commercial applications.