Viscosity reduction of tapioca starch by incorporating with molasses hydrocolloids

As a low cost non-staple food resource, the high-viscosity paste and poor gel-forming ability of tapioca starch limit its industrial application. Herein, molasses hydrocolloids that is a by-product of the sugar refining process was applied as a blending modifier to reduce the viscosity of tapioca starch paste. The test results of paste and rheological properties show that molasses hydrocolloids exhibited a good physical viscosity-reducing effect on tapioca starch paste. The irregular network structure and high K⁺/Ca²⁺ ion contents of molasses hydrocolloids exerted wrapping, adhesion, barrier, and hydration effects on starch, leading to the reduction of viscosity. The scanning electron microscope images and textural analysis demonstrated that this strategy also improve the structure of tapioca starch gel and enhanced its puncture strength by 75.46%. This work shows the great potential of molasses hydrocolloids as a low-cost and desirable material for the viscosity reduction of tapioca starch.