The use of modified starches in foods is made to improve characteristics that the native cannot confer. The objective of this work was to evaluate physicochemical characteristics of starches from several botanical sources after chemical modification with H2O2 considering technological properties of interest to the food industry. The modified starches were used in dulce de leche and starch gum and the sensorial acceptance of these products was verified. The chemical treatment included the suspension of the native starches in a 0.01% Fe2SO4, followed by addition of 1.25% H2O2 at pH 3.0 and reaction time of 15 min at 45 °C. After this period the starch was recovered by filtration, washed and oven-dried at 45 °C for 24 hours. The modified starches had higher expansion, carboxyl content, reducing power and susceptibility to syneresis. There was a decrease in the viscosity peak of the modified starches especially when the samples were analyzed in pH 7.0. The sensorial evaluation indicated that dulce de leche produced with addition of Peruvian carrot modified starch and regular corn acid-modified starch were the preferred samples. The starch gum made with modified starch of Peruvian carrot reached the second position on global preference between the panelists.
oxidized starch; hydrogen peroxide; sensory evaluation; dulce de leche; starch gum
