Isolation and Characterization of Recovered Starch from Industrial Wastewater

The wastewater generated at a facility specialising in potato processing was found to contain high levels of insoluble potato starch. Several separation methods were
employed to obtain maximum potato starch recovery from the industrial wastewater. Centrifugation was proved to be the most effective means of separation. Following potato starch recovery, a variety of chemical and physico-chemical properties were investigated. Potato starch quality and
consistency were assessed and monitored across a 1 year period, between 2007 and 2008. Based on the various starch characteristics that were obtained, it was established that the recovered potato starch was of a high quality and is therefore suitable for subsequent processing, without the need of performing any pre-treatment. Properties including total starch, damaged starch, protein, lipid and amylose content, as well as gelatinisation and retrogradation, were evaluated and a high level of consistency throughout the course of 1 year was recorded.