Effect of cellulase treatment on extraction of starch from potato

The effects of cellulase enzyme concentration (EC), incubation period (IP) and broth dilution (BD) on recovery of starch from ground potato meal (PM) were investigated. The effect of EC is more significant than IP and BD and among the interactions IP × BD is more significant than EC × IP and EC × BD. Starch extracted (SE) increased significantly from 7.268 to 10.108 g/100 g PM when EC was increased from 0 to 0.4 g/100 g PM and when IP was increased from 1 to 4.5h the SE increased significantly from 7.912 to 9.348 g/100 g PM, but when the IP was further increased to 6h the change in SE was not significant suggesting that 4.5 h is sufficient to hydrolyze most of the cellulose. The SE decreased when the ground potato meal was diluted by 20 ml water /100 g PM as compared to when it was diluted by 10ml water /100 g PM. Also, the difference in SE was not significant for undiluted sample and sample diluted with 10ml water /100 g PM suggesting water present in the ground potato meal is sufficient for the free movement of the enzyme with in the slurry ensuring adequate contact with the substrate. The study showed that enzymatic hydrolysis of cell wall components like cellulose can help in better release of starch granules.