Science Journal of Chemistry 2021; 9(2): 45-53 http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/j/sjc doi: 10.11648/j.sjc.20210902.12 ISSN: 2330-0981 (Print); ISSN: 2330-099X (Online) Dextrose Equivalent Analysis of Acid Hydrolysed Corn and Cassava Starch Sourced from Ghana Odum Bismark 1, 2 , Owusu Kwaku Michael 2 , Odoom Kwesi Justice 1, 2 , Ebenezer Otoo 1, 3, * , Norgbey Eyram 4 , Kwakye Danso Benjamin 5 1 College of Harbor, Coastal and Offshore Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, China 2 Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana 3 Department of Crop Science, College of Agricultural and Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana 4 Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing, China 5 Department of Mathematics, College of Science, Hohai University, Nanjing, China Email address: * Corresponding author To cite this article: Odum Bismark, Owusu Kwaku Michael, Odoom Kwesi Justice, Ebenezer Otoo, Norgbey Eyram, Kwakye Danso Benjamin. Dextrose Equivalent Analysis of Acid Hydrolysed Corn and Cassava Starch Sourced from Ghana. Science Journal of Chemistry. Vol. 9, No. 2, 2021, pp. 45-53. doi: 10.11648/j.sjc.20210902.12 Received: November 17, 2020; Accepted: December 14, 2020; Published: April 23, 2021 Abstract: The use of acid hydrolysis to convert starch into dextrose can be difficult and time-consuming. The process requires high acidic medium and temperature which tends to contaminate the end-product hydrolysate. Therefore, this research was carried out to obtain optimum conditions necessary to produce a high and quality Dextrose Equivalent by varying the initial starch concentration and acid volume. The mass of corn and cassava starch and the total hydrochloric acid volume used for the hydrolysis ranged from 100 to 400 g and 1-3 liters respectively. The results showed that the optimum conditions for hydrolyzing the two starch types to Dextrose were within a temperature range of 100°C-120°C, 12 w/w% starch concentration, 4 atmospheric pressure and 30 minutes operating time. The optimum conditions produced a Dextrose Equivalent of 79.80% and 78.66% for cassava and corn starch respectively. The amount of dextrose produced in the process is a function of temperature, pressure, acid volume, operating time and initial starch concentration. Experimental results also confirmed an increase in pH of the hydrolysate with a temperature rise, and this influenced the Dextrose quality. The outcomes provided new findings to complement existing outcomes on how initial starch concentration and acid volume affect Dextrose Equivalent by acid-type hydrolysis. Keywords: Hydrolysis, Dextrose Equivalent, Starch, Dextrose, Hydrolysate, Titration 1. Introduction Hydrolysis of starch to low-molecular products such as glucose, starch nanoparticles and adhesives is widely applied in many industries including the sugar, spirits and textile industries, as well as in the brewing industry [1, 2]. Acid hydrolysis of starch can be employed to convert starch into dextrose [3]. The degree of hydrolysis is often attained by means of mineral acids (pH 2) and high temperatures from 140-220°C [1]. Industrial processing of starch for commercial production of glucose syrup mainly involves the employment of mineral acids for starch hydrolysis before the advent of enzymes [4, 5]. The use of enzyme and acid-enzyme hydrolysis of starch is being applied in some industries [1, 6-8]. The use of enzyme for starch hydrolysis is an indispensable method. One difficulty in using this method is that the stability of the enzymes cannot be assured. In addition, the pH level and temperature play vital role in their stability [1]. The source of the enzyme also affects the mode of action, properties and the product of hydrolysis [7] making it difficult to regulate most times. Enzyme and acid-enzyme hydrolysis can be expensive and time consuming, and sometimes difficult to undertake especially when the enzymes are not well cultured [7].