ORIGINAL PAPER Physicochemical Properties of Caribbean Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas (L) Lam) Starches Adebisola J. Aina & Kolawole O. Falade & John O. Akingbala & Pathelene Titus Received: 16 September 2009 / Accepted: 14 December 2009 / Published online: 13 January 2010 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010 Abstract The proximate compositions and physicochemi- cal properties of 21 Caribbean sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L) Lam) starches were investigated. Proximate composition, amylose, reducing and non-reducing sugars were determined using standard methods. Swelling power and solubility were evaluated and pasting properties of the starches were determined using Rapid Visco Analyzer. Moisture (8.0–12.4%), protein (0.0–0.2%), ash (0.1–0.5%), and reducing (0.3–2.3%) and non-reducing sugar (0.1– 0.2%) contents of starches were significantly different (P <0.05) among the cultivars. Amylose content varied significantly between 12.8–21.3%. Swelling power and solubility ranged between 7.8–31.1% and 1.5–9.6%, respectively. Pasting properties such as peak viscosity measured in Rapid Visco Units (143.2–288.8 RVU), break- down viscosity (29.4–162.6 RVU), and setback viscosity (15.0–78.8 RVU), pasting temperature (73.5–87.7 °C) and time to pasting temperature (3.6–4.5 min) varied signifi- cantly among the cultivars. Breakdown viscosity was poorly correlated with final viscosity attained (r = - 0.0507, P <0.05); however, pasting temperature was correlated (r =0.479, P <0.05) with setback viscosity. The variability observed in the physicochemical properties of the starches was related to specific requirements for use in the production of noodles, pasta, and inclusion in bread and weaning food formulations. Keywords Sweet potato . Starches . Proximate composition . Physicochemical properties . Caribbean Introduction Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) is grown throughout the tropics and subtropics. Sweet potatoes are excellent sources of vitamin A and C (K’osambo et al. 1998), and the starch content of the fresh roots varies from 6.9% to 30.7% (Tian et al. 1991). Sweet potatoes are high in energy and dietary fibre, low in fat, and are important sources of beta-carotene (Hagenimana et al. 1993). The occurrence of natural hybrids and mutations and artificial selection of sweet potatoes have resulted in the existence of a large number of cultivars. These cultivars differ in many of their properties, ranging from the physical appearance and texture of the root to structure-function properties of the starch (Zhang and Oates 1999). Starch plays an important role in developing food products, either as a raw material or as a food additive such as a thickener, stabiliser, or texture enhancer (Eliasson and Gudmundsson 1996). In addition, starch is used to improve the moisture retention to control the water mobility and also to maintain the quality of food products during storage (Bahnassey and Breene 1994; Rapaille and Vanhemelrijck 1992). Starch manufacture is the main industrial use of sweet potatoes. Sweet potato and sweet potato-based products (e.g., starch and flour) are widely used in the manufacture of different products including the manufac- A. J. Aina : J. O. Akingbala Department of Chemical Engineering, Food Science and Technology Unit, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago K. O. Falade (*) Department of Food Technology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria e-mail: kolawolefalade@yahoo.com P. Titus CARDI St. Vincent and The Grenadines, PO Box 594, Rivulet, Kingstown, St. Vincent and The Grenadines. Food Bioprocess Technol (2012) 5:576–583 DOI 10.1007/s11947-009-0316-6