Isolation and partial characterization of delayed releasing starches of Colocasia species from Jharkhand, India

There is an increasing interest in starch manufactured from edible tubers for controlled delivery of drug. Starches of different cultivars of Colocasia from Jharkhand, North Eastern State of India, were isolated and their morphological, physicochemical, structural properties were studied. The yield of starches was estimated in the range of 6.46-13.75%. All the isolated starches revealed their irregular shape with a diameter of 5-10 mu m. There was considerable variation in amylose content, swelling and solubility power, water hydration capacity. FTIR spectra confirmed their carbohydrate nature. Powder studies revealed that these starches possess potential for pharmaceutical industries. In vitro release data revealed the delayed release of all tablets made by using Colocasia starches at pH 6.8 and 7.4 when compared with maize starch. Delayed release of all starches showed there is a great potential to be used these starches as pharmaceutical excipient in sustained release dosage form with minimum modification. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.