final project

EXTRACTION OF STARCH FROM WASTE POTATOES & ITS UTILIZATION

IN DIFFERENT PRODUCTS

Session: 2009-2013

Project Advisors

Engr. Shamim Raza

Engr. Humbul Suleman

Project Members

Rimsha Zahid 2009-UET-IEFR-CHEM-FD-75 Rabia Ijaz 2009-UET-IEFR-CHEM-FD-85

Maria Iftikhar 2009-UET-IEFR-CHEM-FD-08__________________________________________________

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

NFC INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & FERTILIZER RESEARCH, FAISALABAD, PAKISTAN.

i

EXTRACTION OF STARCH FROM WASTE POTATOES & ITS UTILIZATION IN DIFFERENT

PRODUCTS

Session: 2009-13This project is submitted to the Department of Chemical Engineering, NFC

Institute of Engineering & Fertilizer Research, Faisalabad, Pakistan, for the partial fulfillment of the

BACHELOR DEGREE

IN

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

Project Advisors: Engr. Shamim Raza

Engr. Humbul Suleman

Approved on: ____/____/____

Internal Examiner:Engr. Shmaim Raza _____________

Engr. Humbul Suleman _____________

External Examiner:

________________________ ______________

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

NFC INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & FERTILIZER RESEARCH, FAISALABAD, PAKISTAN.

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Preamble

In the name of ALLAH, Most Compassionate, Ever Merciful.

Read in the name of your Lord, who has created (all that exists); He has created man from a clot.

Read and your Lord is the most generous, Who has taught (the writing) by the pen. He has taught man that he knew not.

Nay! Verily, man does transgress all bounds (in disbelief and evil deed). Because he considers himself self-sufficient. Unto your Lord is the return.

(Al Quran)

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Dedication

We dedicate our project work to

Holy Prophet MUHAMMAD (PBUH )

who taught us to learn till lap of grave

iv

Dedication

We dedicate our project work to

Holy Prophet MUHAMMAD (PBUH )

who taught us to learn till lap of grave

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AcknowledgementsUp & above everything, all glory to “Almighty Allah”. The most merciful & the Most Compassionate, who created man & taught him manner and is the source of entire knowledge and wisdom endowed to mankind respect and “Darood-O-Salam “are due to His Holy Prophet (PBUH) whose blessings and exaltation flourished our thoughts and thrived our ambition to have cherished fruit of our modest effort in form of this write-up.

I have the honor to express my deep sense of gratitude and profound indebtedness to our worthy director of NFC IEFR, Prof. Dr. Javed Rabbani Khan for his affection and care.

We are thankful to Head of Chemical Engineering Department, Prof. Dr. Shahid Raza Malik, who really inspired us and helped us all the time.

We are thankful to our teacher Engr. Shamim Raza, whose learned patronage and guidance made us able to conduct this study.

We offer our special thanks, our heartiest gratitude and deep sense of obligation to Engr. Humbul Suleman, who helped us in selection of this topic and providing the able guidance and valuable suggestion during the completion of this manuscript. His constructive suggestions, constant guidance and friendly attitude encouraged us to work in a better manner.

Finally no acknowledgment could ever adequate our obligations to our parents. Their hands always raised in pray of our success.

(Authors)

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ABSTRACT

Starch isn’t just carbohydrates any more. It’s become an enormous industry in itself. Potato

starch and its derivatives are used today in the production of paper and cardboard, pastes and

glues, building materials and additives, textile auxiliaries, packaging and even for washing

powders, tooth pastes, tablets, cosmetics, confectionary, food and much more. One of the most

popular forms of the potato starch is the organic one and sometimes also bears the name of starch

flour or potato flour. The basic goal of our project is to promote and enhance the production of

starch and starch based different products. By performing different tests in our labs we have

proved that starch based products are eco friendly and easy to make. Majorly we are extracting

starch and then making synthetic gum, bio plastic, alcohol, custard powder and noodles from

waste potatoes. According to FAO statistics, the global production of potatoes stood at 325.55

MMT for the year 2008 with China, India, Russia, Ukraine and USA being the top producers. It

is estimated that approximately 3.0 MMT potato starch is produced in the world annually.

Starches and their derivatives are one of the major raw materials used in most of the industrial

sectors in Pakistan. It is estimated that total starch and modified starches consumption of the

country was approximately 240,000 tons for the year 2009 and the share of imports in the

consumption was 5000 tons for the same period. According to the trade map data, 2649 tons of

potato starch was imported into Pakistan in 2009.we hereby strongly recommended the

production of starch in Pakistan. A potato starch extraction plant will have positive effects on the

potato farming in Pakistan by creating a significant increase in potato demand.

(Authors)

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List of Tables

TABLE 1 : CURRENT PRODUCTION AND YIELDS....................................................................................................2

TABLE 2 : COMPOSITION OF POTATO STARCH ...................................................................................................13

TABLE 3: GLOBAL PRODUCTION OF POTATO STARCH:.......................................................................................13

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List of Figures

FIGURE 1: POTATO STARCH EXTRACTION PROCESS............................................................................................16

FIGURE 2: INDUSTRIAL POTATO STARCH EXTRACTION PROCESS........................................................................17

FIGURE 3: APPLICATIONS OF POTATO STARCH...................................................................................................19

FIGURE 4: LAB SCALE STARCH EXTRACTION PROCESS.........................................................................................23

FIGURE 5: LAB SCALE PRODUCTION OF SYNTHETIC GUM....................................................................................26

FIGURE 6: BIOPLASTIC WITH GLYCERIN.............................................................................................................. 30

FIGURE 7: BIOPLASTIC WITHOUT GLYCERIN....................................................................................................... 33

FIGURE 8: LAB SCALE PRODUCTION OF NOODLES FROM POTATO STARCH.........................................................36

FIGURE 9: PRODUCTION OF ALCOHOL................................................................................................................ 39

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............................................................................................................................................................................ I

INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................................... 1

LITERATURE SURVEY......................................................................................................................................................11.1 History of potatoes...........................................................................................................................................11.1.1 Details of quality characteristics...................................................................................................................11.1.3 Markets and market potential......................................................................................................................21.2 History of starch...............................................................................................................................................31.3 POTATO STARCH..............................................................................................................................................71.4 World Scenario and Potato Starch Market in Pakistan.................................................................................14

THE WORLD SCENARIO................................................................................................................................................14POTATO STARCH MARKET IN PAKISTAN..........................................................................................................................14

1.4 Recommendation:..........................................................................................................................................151.5 INDUSTRIAL STARCH EXTRACTION PROCESS.................................................................................................................151.6 INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS:.....................................................................................................................................181.7 SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT POTATOES (5)........................................................................................................21

CHAPTER -2....................................................................................................................................................... 22

EXPERIMENTATION........................................................................................................................................... 22

EXPERIMENT #1.........................................................................................................................................................22OBJECTIVE: EXTRACTION OF STARCH FROM WASTE POTATOES.............................................................................................22[6]EXPERIMENT#2..................................................................................................................................................25OBJECTIVE: PRODUCTION OF SYNTHETIC GLUE FROM POTATOES..........................................................................................25EXPERIMENT#3......................................................................................................................................................27OBJECTIVE: PRODUCTION OF CUSTARD POWDER FROM POTATOES........................................................................................27EXPERIMENT#4......................................................................................................................................................29OBJECTIVE: TO LEARN HOW TO MAKE A PLASTIC FILM FROM POTATO STARCH (WITH GLYCERIN).................................................29EXPERIMENT#5......................................................................................................................................................32OBJECTIVE: TO MAKE A PLASTIC (CRISPY) FROM POTATO STARCH (WITHOUT GLYCERIN)............................................................32[7]EXPERIMENT#6:.................................................................................................................................................35OBJECTIVE: MAKING OF NOODLES FROM POTATO STARCH..................................................................................................35[8]EXPERIMENT#7..................................................................................................................................................38OBJECTIVE: PRODUCTION OF BIO ETHANOL FROM WASTE POTATOES.....................................................................................38RESULT DISCUSSION (EXPERIMENT#1-7):........................................................................................................................40FUTURE RECOMMENDATIONS:.......................................................................................................................................40

INTRODUCTION TO PRODUCTS.......................................................................................................................... 42

3.1 BIOPLASTIC:.....................................................................................................................................................423.1.1 What is a bio plastic?..................................................................................................................................423.1.2 The world plastics industry and the role of bioplastics...............................................................................423.1.3 The benefits from using bioplastics............................................................................................................423.1.4 Bioplastics demand will continue to grow..................................................................................................453.1.5 The other advantages of bioplastics...........................................................................................................463.1.6 Are bioplastics good or bad?......................................................................................................................47

3.2 CUSTARD POWDER..........................................................................................................................................48

3.2.1 Description..................................................................................................................................................483.2.3 How to store................................................................................................................................................483.2.4 Health Benefits............................................................................................................................................48

3.3 ALCOHOL..........................................................................................................................................................483.3.1 Description:.................................................................................................................................................483.3.2 Uses.............................................................................................................................................................49

LITERATURE CITED............................................................................................................................................. 52

(5)Potato starch – a versatile commodity - Bayer CropScience Mexico..............................................................52

Chapter-1 INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER -1

INTRODUCTION

Literature Survey

1.1 History of potatoes[1]The Potato is the world’s fourth most important food crop, after maize, wheat and rice. Potato

is rich in starch and carbohydrates. Potato is now cultivated around the world.

The potato is already an integral part of the global food system. It is the world’s number one

non-grain food commodity, with production reaching a record 325 million tons in 2007. Potato

consumption is expanding strongly in developing countries, which now account for more than

half of the global harvest and where the potato’s ease of cultivation and high energy content have

made it a valuable cash crop for millions of farmers. At the same time, the potato –unlike major

cereals –is not a globally traded commodity. Only a fraction of total production enters foreign

trade, and potato prices are determined usually by local production costs, not by the vagaries of

international markets. It is, therefore, a highly recommended food security crop that can help

low-income farmers and vulnerable consumers ride out extreme events in world food supply and

demand. The year 2008 was declared the International Year of the Potato by the United Nations.

In the international year of potato, they consider it as the food for future to ensure food security

for present and future generation. The potato produces more nutritious food more quickly, on

less land, labor is abundant and in harsher climates than any other major crop. Potato is a very

nutritive food from medical point of view well matched to human requirements. World potato

production has increased at an annual average rate of 4.5 percent over the last 10 years.

1.1.1 Details of quality characteristics

Potatoes are the most important 'vegetable' in the world today - after cereals the tubers provide

the main source of carbohydrate in the European diet. Secondary uses include the production of

starch and dextrose, industrial alcohol by fermentation, and spirits. Potatoes yield 17 - 21% fresh

weight of starch and 0.5 - 1.2% of pure protein.

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Table 1 : Current production and yields

CountryArea harvested '000

haYield t/ha

Production '000 metric tonnes

Austria 23.4 29.3 690

Belgium-Lux 60.0 38.3 2,300

Denmark 36.0 39.2 1,414

Finland 34.9 22.4 783

France 172.0 38.8 6,686

Germany 345.0 36.1 12,438

Greece 47.7 22.0 1,050

Ireland 20.0 35.0 700

Italy 87.7 23.2 2,032

Netherlands 185.0 43.7 8,081

Portugal 79.8 13.6 1,087

Spain 172.8 19.8 3,420

Sweden 34.3 36.2 1,240

UK 165.5 42.2 7,154

EU-15 1464.1 29.3 49,075

World 18353 16.1 294,834

Source: FAO 1997

1.1.3 Markets and market potential

Today, in volume and value the potato exceeds all other crops worldwide, including wheat.

Starch is a carbohydrate polymer that occurs in granular form in the organs of higher plants and

is composed almost exclusively of anhydro-a-D-glucose units. It is the most abundant storage

polysaccharide in the plant kingdom. Its digestibility in the human and animal intestine makes it

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the most important nutritional component in food and feed. Industrially, starch consists of starch

polysaccharides, minor constituents and moisture and is obtained by industrial wet milling,

refining and drying. The paper and board industries are the largest non-food starch-using sector,

using approximately 60% of the total industrial starch.

Potato starch is obtained by continuous wet-milling processes with low input of fresh water

applied to farina potatoes as the starting material. The world production of potato starch exceeds

2x106 MT per annum; it is traditionally regarded as having superior properties to cereal starches.

Potato starch is the preferred starch for paper/pulp surface sizing which accounts for more than

50% of the use in this particular industry; however wheat and maize starch are usually used as

they are a lower cost option.

1.2 History of starch[2]Starch isn’t just carbohydrates any more. It’s become an enormous industry in itself, and it is a

fascinating story that blends nature, science, cities, economics and politics. Brown & Polson’s

history with starch is a close one. Their name is still widely known. But perhaps it is best to

begin at the beginning—or at least as close as it is possible to get.

We cannot be sure when starch was first discovered or used. But it is known that strips of

Egyptian papyrus were stuck together with a starchy adhesive dating back to 4000 BC. In 170

BC, the Romans used a process that separated starch from grain. Three hundred years after that,

Celsus, a Greek physician, described starch as a wholesome dietary product. It was also used to

produce an “artificial honey” which when combined with saliva, was applied to wounds.

In Western Europe, starch was used by weavers in Flanders during the fourteenth century.

Around 1560 it began to be used to stiffen ruffs and body linen; colored starches were popular

for this purpose, and the Puritans were particularly keen on blue starch. Unfortunately for

Puritans, Queen Elizabeth I banned blued linen in 1596.

But its popularity is closely (though not exclusively) tied to Scotland’s largest and best known

town, Paisley, through Brown & Polson’s “Patent Cornflour.” Paisley was supposedly founded

by the Irish monk, St. Mirin, who established a chapel close to the River Cart (about seven miles

from Glasgow) in the sixth century. Then history went silent for several centuries until in 1163

when Walter Fitzalan, who had been granted the lands, established a monastery in conjunction

with the Cluniac order.

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http://www.paisley.org.uk/history/intro.php


The village’s earliest name appears to have been Passelet, Passeleth or Passelay, but in the

sixteenth century, the name begins to show up as Paslay or Pasley. It wasn’t until the eighteenth

that it took the name it has today. Once freed from ecclesiastical domination, Paisley began to

thrive as a town. Medieval trades flourished, and a school and a hospital were built. Roads were

built and improved, and trade guilds established by various “manufactured goods” producers.

A century later, weaving had emerged as the town’s principal industry. The site notes it as being

“a quiet occupation allowing the men time to think and discuss, as a result of which the weavers

gained a reputation as radicals . . . There was also a reputation for literary ability. A story is told

that at a public dinner in nineteenth-century Paisley a toast was proposed to the 'Paisley Poets',

and every man present rose up to answer it!”

The Paisley shawl came about at this time, though it had its original roots in the seventeenth

century when the textile industry boomed. By the eighteenth century, the weavers’ products—

lawns, silks and muslins—had laid the groundwork for the intricate Paisley Shawl–the name

'Paisley' was given to the Kashmiri pattern of teardrop or tadpole shapes—which was to burst

into popularity in the nineteenth century. The original Indian motif had been reinterpreted to

conform to European taste, and the shawls became so popular that weaving centers in Edinburgh,

Norwich and Paisley were swamped with orders. This shawl remained the town’s principal

product for nearly three-quarters of a century and it spawned two other important and long-

lasting products: cotton thread and starch.

William Brown and John Polson founded the company in 1840 specifically to supply starch for

muslin and linen shawls. The process of weaving the shawls required the use of a starch paste to

strengthen the warp (the set of lengthwise yarns through which the weft or crosswise yarn is

woven to make cloth), and this starch came from B&P.

Starch is a white, granular, odorless, tasteless, complex carbohydrate that is found in the seeds of

cereal plants and in bulbs and tubers. It is manufactured during the process of photosynthesis,

and serves as a kind of energy storage for the plants. Once the starch has been separated and

dried, it becomes a soft, white powder that remains stable almost indefinitely if it is kept dry.

Though wheat flour and other starchy vegetable materials had been used to stiffen fabrics for

centuries, it wasn’t until around 1840 when B&P, among others, began manufacturing “powder

starch” on a commercial basis.

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But without a few discoveries first, B&P wouldn’t have found its place. One of those occurred in

1707 when a Britisher named Samuel Newton patented a method for the manufacture of starch.

Another, more important one was accidental: a fire broke out in a Dublin textile mill. When it

was over, the brown “heat treated” starch that was in the mill was discovered to dissolve in water

and turn into a thick adhesive paste. It was the first modified starch, dextrin, now called “British

gum.” Soon after that, around 1835-1840, several wheat-starch works were built and began

making dextrins from wheat and rice. Around this time, John Polson and William Brown went

into partnership to make a starch to stiffen muslin, but their starch was made from sago. They

were talented and energetic and at the Great Exhibition of 1851, they won awards for their

starches.

In 1850, a patent was taken out for the production of starch from maize by wet-milling, and was

soon adapted to produce a starch suitable for food use. Six years later, Brown and Polson’s

Patent Corn Flour was introduced and such was its success that it was even issued a Royal

Warrant.

B&P’s reputation spread worldwide as did their corn flour. In 1876, a review of Tom Sawyer

included this: “The name of Mark Twain is known throughout the length and breadth of England.

Wherever there is a railway-station with a bookstall his jokes are household words. Those, whose

usual range in literature does not extend beyond the sporting newspapers, the Racing Calendar,

and the ‘Diseases of Dogs,’ have allowed him a place with Artemus Ward alongside of the

handful of books which forms their library. For ourselves, we cannot dissociate him from the

railway-station, and his jokes always rise in our mind with a background of Brown & Polson's

Corn Flour and Taylor’s system of removing furniture.”

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Cookbooks specifying Brown & Polson’s flour appeared including one from 1891 that can be

found on Project Gutenberg, Cassell’s Vegetarian Cookery: A Manual of Cheap and Wholesome

Diet. It includes this ad: “Brown & Polson’s Corn Flour has a world-wide reputation, and is

distinguished for uniformly superior quality. Note: Purchasers should insist on being supplied

with BROWN & POLSON’S CORN FLOUR. Inferior qualities, asserting fictitious claims, are

being offered.”

By the 1920s Brown & Polson had become the largest manufacturer of starch products in the

United Kingdom. In 1935, the American company, Corn Products Company (CPC) acquired

B&P; in 1950, CPC changed its name to Brown & Polson Ltd. Starch production was moved

from Paisley to Manchester, but not before a tragedy occurred at the old place. At 6:40 on the

morning of June 5, 1964, B&P’s animal feed plant was destroyed in a huge explosion. Four men

were killed and four more badly injured. “I have seen terrible things during the war, but never

anything like this,” said a local police officer about the scene.

Interesting, starch plays an enormous role in our lives today, far beyond what most people

probably know. William R. Mason has written that its “use in foods burgeoned with the

emergence of a packaged food industry and the increased availability of pure starch. The

technology has evolved from a basic separation process that extracts the starch from the plant

into a range of sophisticated processes that yield diverse specialty ingredients with unique

capabilities. Specialty food starches have played a significant role in the evolution of the

processed food industry.”

He goes on to note that starches as they occur in the plants are acceptable for foods consumed

quickly. However, these native or unmodified starches break down during processing. Used in

combinations, starches could provide more benefits than single starches. By the end of the 1930s,

starch was being used as thickener in canned foods, commercial pie preparation, salad dressings

and puddings. In 1943, cross-linking (starches) was patented; by the end of the decade, it was

firmly commercialized, having surpassed the wheat flour or corn starch previously used. Another

important improvement was waxy maize starch, which has a desirable textural stability. Though

initially ignored, it came into wide use when the food industry began to seek out properties not

yet available in other starches. Iowa State College began a modest breeding program. Demand

soared when World War II interrupted the supply of tapioca starch from Far East, and it was

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http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/14594


discovered that waxy maize starch was a successful substitute—with superior clarity and

stability.

As the foods industry developed further in the 1950s and into the 21st century, modified waxy

maize starches continue to play an increasing important role. Frozen foods, convenience foods,

dry mixes and other prepared foods are dependent on them. New modifications allow for

increased processing and longer shelf life as well as attractive consumer features such as texture

and sheen.

1.3 POTATO STARCH(3)Potato starch is perhaps the most valuable derivative of potato and is considered to be a great

alternative to corn or wheat starch due to its gluten free composition. It is available in powder

form as well as in liquid form. Today a significant fraction of the potato industry is involved in

starch production.

Potatoes yield 17 - 21% fresh weight of starch and 0.5 - 1.2% of pure protein. Potato Starch is

basically a carbohydrate, consisting of two components namely amylose and amylopectin. Both

these components are polymers but differ from each other in their physio-chemical

characteristics as amylopectin thickens and amylose gels. The separation of these two

components is energy intensive therefore the starch is modified to reduce the effect of unwanted

component to meet the requirements of the application. A starch potato usually contains 80%

amylopectin and 20% amylose. Most of the industrial applications require amylopectin and today

the potatoes are being genetically modified to enhance the percentage of amylopectin up to 98%.

The basis for starch quality is laid in the potato clamp

In the field or stored in clamps during winter, the tubers stay alive and need some air for

respiration and life activity.

Potatoes consume a small amount of their own starch during winter to maintain life functions

until spring. This requires fresh air and the respiration causes generation of heat.

If the surrounding temperature falls with a risk of frost, the tubers try to save their skin by

extensive conversion of starch to sugar in order to lower the freezing point in the cell juice. If

this does not suffice, the tubers die. Potatoes therefore must be adequately covered when stored.

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If the potatoes get warm, respiration increases, raising the temperature further. A lot of starch is

used for the respiration and the tubers will die of heat.

Unfavorable storage conditions cause starch losses and, in the worst case, dead and smashed

potatoes, which are disruptive for the process.

Supplies of bad potatoes have to be rejected.

Damage during transport also causes quality problems. Every single blow damages cells, with

starch losses and a dead spot on the tuber as a result. It is therefore of utmost importance to

handle the potatoes during transport as carefully as possible with the techniques and equipment

available.

Refining begins already during raw material intake.

Drop damper for initial filling of empty store.

During unloading at the factory, damage can be reduced by covering buffer silos with rubber and

minimizing drop impact with rubber curtains. Smashed potatoes loose a lot of juice, causing

foam and unnecessary problems in the washing station.

Loose dirt, sand and gravel are removed on a rotating screen before the potatoes are deposited in

the store - the better the dirt removal, the lesser the problems with stones and sand in the fluming

channels later. The soil also contains considerable quantities of nutrients, which will dissolve in

the washing water and contribute to the environmental effect caused by the effluent.

The potato store is a necessity to secure the supply of potatoes overnight. Supplies for the

weekend may also be required because of restrictions on heavy road transport outside ordinary

working hours.

The ideal situation is to reach the bottom of the potato store every morning, because the potatoes

suffer during long storage in thick layers without adequate ventilation.

Efficient washing makes refining easier

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Soil and dirt not removed in the washing station give problems later. The washing is therefore

very important. The washing is a counter current process, with fresh water added through

pressure nozzles in the final step.

The potatoes are flumed by water in channels - passing a stone trap - to the washing station. The

stone trap utilises the difference in specific weights between stones and potatoes - an upstream

water flow carries the potatoes over the stone trap, while the heavier stones are trapped and

collected on a stone conveyor.

The water level in the washing drum has to be kept low so that the potatoes do not float. The

drum is not merely a conveyor, but also ensures that the potatoes rub vigorously against each

other. The rubbing is essential for the removal of fungi, rotten spots, skin and dirt from the

surface. The floating water may be recycled after settling of sand in pools.

A high standard of washing improves refining because many impurities resemble starch in

specific density and size, so washing the potatoes is the only way to get rid of them.

The quantity of impurities adhering to the potatoes on delivery depends to a great extent on

weather conditions and on the soil where the potatoes are cultivated.

The quantity of water used for fluming and washing is identical with the quantity of clean water

applied in the final high-pressure spray.

Rasping

Rasping is the first step in the starch extraction. The goal is to open the tuber cells and release the

starch granules. The slurry obtained can be considered as a mixture of pulp (cell walls), fruit

juice and starch. With modern high-speed raspers, rasping is a one-pass operation only.

Use of sulphur

The cell juice is rich in sugar and protein. When opening the cells the juice is instantly exposed

to air and reacts with the oxygen, forming coloured components, which may adhere to the starch.

Sulphur dioxide gas or sodium-bisulphite-solution therefore has to be added. A considerable

reduction potential of the sulphur compounds prevents discoloration. Sufficient sulphur has to be

added to maintain the juice and pulp light yellow.

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Extraction

Powerful washing is needed to flush the starch granules out from the cells - the cells are torn

apart in the rasper and form a filtering mat that tries to retain the starch. Water has previously

been used for the extraction, but today extraction takes place in closed systems allowing the use

of the potato juice itself. It has the advantage that the juice can later be recovered in concentrated

and undiluted form, reducing transport costs for its use as a fertilizer.

The flushed-out starch discharges from the extraction sieves along with the fruit juice, and the

cell walls (pulp) are pumped to the pulp dewatering sieves. The pulp leaves the dewatering

sieves as drip- dry - i.e. approximately 8% dry matter.

The extraction takes place on rotating conical sieves, where centrifugal power increases the

capacity per unit of area. The high efficiency makes it feasible to utilise high quality sieve plates

made of stainless steel, which will withstand abrasion and CIP-chemicals. The sieve plates have

long perforations only 125 microns across.

Operating Principle of a Starch Extractor

The extraction is a counter current process in which the pulp-dewatering screen is actually the

last step. If the pulp is required in almost dry form, the number of spray nozzles with washing

water is reduced. Instead continuous back spraying is maintained to ensure that the dry pulp will

slide down the screen.

Concentrating the crude starch slurry

On hydrocyclone unit as much juice is excreted as possible. The starch leaves the concentrator as

pumpable slurry of approximately 19 oBe.

The concentrating stage typically consists of a unit with hydrocyclone blocks for defoaming,

concentrating and starch recovering arranged in series.

Refining

It now remains to purify the crude starch milk (suspension) and remove residual fruit juice and

impurities. The way it is done is more or less based on the same principles used when removing

soap water from the laundry - you wring and soak in clean water again and again. Everyone

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doing laundry realizes how often it is necessary to wring before the rinsing water is completely

clear and that the harder you wring the fewer rinsing steps are required.

In the same way, the starch slurry is diluted and concentrated again and again. To save rinsing

water the wash is done counter currently - i.e. the incoming fresh water is used on the very last

step and the overflow is recycled for dilution on the previous step and so on.

Hydrocyclones

Refining is based on the difference in specific density of water, fibers and starch:

Specific density g/ml

Starch 1,55

Cell walls (fibers) 1,05

Water 1,00

Soil, sand above 2In the strong gravitational fields of a hydrocyclone and a centrifuge, starch settle quickly, while

fibers (pulp residuals) just float in the water. The juice is directly diluted in the water and goes

with the water phase.

By creating a water flow moving towards the starch, lots of fibres just floating in the water may

be forced into the overflow. Soil, sand and many fungi etc. are of equal density or heavier than

starch and it is not possible to separate these particles from starch by centrifugal force - that is

why it is so important to remove as many impurities as possible from the potato surface in the

washing station.

Although some impurities go with the starch in the underflow, there is - by means of a sieve - a

last chance to remove the larger particles - that is particles larger than 125 microns. The particles

are not spherical. On the contrary, they are of irregular shape and may be forced through refining

sieve, if the spray pressure is too high.

Impurities not removed this way are not removable by any known technique.

In the recovery steps all starch has to be retained in the underflow so only very little is wasted in

the effluent (fruit water).

Cooling

The lower the water consumption, the more pumps are involved in the process and the more heat

is generated. To retard bacterial growth refrigerator temperatures are ideal.

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In the effluent of concentrated fruit juice, cooling during extraction is a must because in hot juice

microbes that break down protein and a bad smell may take control.

Cip - cleaning in place

Cleaning in Place is done with caustic and hypochlorite as cleaning agents. Caustic is a powerful

agent for removal of the protein build-up on the interior walls and the hypochlorite is an efficient

germ killer

During CIP it is of the utmost importance to keep the pipes filled up. Tanks are most efficiently

CIP'ed with rotating disc nozzles - and covered tanks are required.

Drying and sifting

The moist starch from the rotating vacuum filters is dried in a flash dryer with moderate hot air.

The air is indirectly heated.

Before delivery the starch is sifted on a fine sieve in order to remove any scale formed in screw

conveyors etc.

Starch finds uses in fast food, sweets, sausages, tablets, and paper, corrugated board etc. and

plays a prominent part in our everyday life.

Modification: Most starch is used for industrial purposes. Starch is tailor made to meet the

requirements of the end-user giving rise to a range of speciality products. Many and

sophisticated techniques are applied. A most versatile principle comprises a three step wet

modification:

Preparation

v

Reaction

v

Finishing

By applying different reaction conditions - temperature, pH, additives - and strict process control

specialty products with unique properties are made.

These specialty products are named modified starches, because they still retain their original

granule form and thereby resemble the native (unmodified) starch in appearance. But the

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modification has introduced improved qualities in the starch when cooked. The paste may have

obtained improved clarity, viscosity, film-forming ability etc.

Table 2 : Composition of potato starch

Constituents Typical analysis

Starch, dry substance 80%

Water 20%

Ash 0.3%

Sand 0.02%

Protein 0.09%

Phosphor, P 0.07%

Calcium, Ca 0.03%

Iron, Fe 3 ppm

Cold water soluble 0.1%

Table 3: Global production of potato starch:

CountryArea harvested '000

haYield t/ha Production '000 metric tones

Austria 23.4 29.3 690

Belgium-Lux 60.0 38.3 2,300

Denmark 36.0 39.2 1,414

Finland 34.9 22.4 783

France 172.0 38.8 6,686

Germany 345.0 36.1 12,438

Greece 47.7 22.0 1,050

Ireland 20.0 35.0 700

Italy 87.7 23.2 2,032

Netherlands 185.0 43.7 8,081

Portugal 79.8 13.6 1,087

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Spain 172.8 19.8 3,420

Sweden 34.3 36.2 1,240

UK 165.5 42.2 7,154

EU-15 1464.1 29.3 49,075

World 18353 16.1 294,834

Source: FAO 1997

1.4 World Scenario and Potato Starch Market in Pakistan

The World Scenario According to FAO statistics, the global production of potatoes stood at 325.55 MMT for the

year 2008 with China, India, Russia, Ukraine and USA being the top producers. It is estimated

that approximately 3.0 MMT potato starch is produced in the world annually. According to the

UN trade statistics, the global exports of potato starch (HS code 110813) were 604,338 MT (US$

341 M) for the year 2009 with Germany, Netherlands, Poland and Canada as the leading

exporters. For the same period the global imports were 823,077 MT (US$ 479 M) with USA,

UK, Netherlands, Chinese Taipei and Spain as leading importers.

Each year more than 9 million tons of starch is produced in EU alone, of which around 20% is

extracted from potatoes. It is worthwhile to mention that potato starch production in EU is

limited by quotas.

Potato Starch Market in PakistanStarches and their derivatives are one of the major raw materials used in most of the industrial

sectors in Pakistan. It is estimated that total starch and modified starches consumption of the

country was approximately 240,000 tons for the year 2009 and the share of imports in the

consumption was 5000 tons for the same period. According to the trade map data, 2649 tons of

potato starch was imported into Pakistan in 2009.

Currently there is only one major producer of starch in Pakistan with production based on maize

and is almost utilizing its full capacity. In addition, few very small companies are producing

potato starch and potato flour in very small quantities. To encourage the production of starches in

Pakistan, the Government of Pakistan has levied 10-20% duty on the import of starches.

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1.4 Recommendation:

World over paper and board, textile and food industries prefer use of potato starch over maize,

corn or wheat based starches because of its gluten free composition and other properties which

include good water-uptake and swelling as well as low thermal and electrical conductivity. A

growth in demand of starches in the country is being witnessed coupled with a rising trend in

imports as the domestic production capacity is reaching its limits. This justifies the setting up of

a potato starch extraction plant as the demand will outgrow the local production in near future.

A potato starch extraction plant will have positive effects on the potato farming in Pakistan by

creating a significant increase in potato demand. Furthermore with some minor additional

capabilities installed, modified starches and other derivatives specific to certain industrial

requirements, may also be produced thus adding to the profitability of the project.

1.5 Industrial starch extraction process[4]The most commonly used industrial process for the extraction of starch from potatoes is shown

in figure and involves the following stages:

a) Fresh potatoes are first coarsely cleaned for removal of soil and stones. The main cleaning is

done in trough washing machines where the potatoes are spinned and thoroughly washed with

water. At this stage any impurities adhering to potatoes are removed. Constant abrasion

completely removes soil and most of the skin. The washing water is then pumped into

clarification pools where sand, soil and stones are removed and the water is reused in the

process.

b) The clean potatoes are then transferred to rasping machines where rows of saw blades are

closely arranged on a drum which is rotated at high speed. Sharp saw teeth convert the potatoes

into a fine mash thus opening up the tuber cells to release starch. Sulphur dioxide gas and sodium

bisulphate solution are mixed with the potato gratings to avoid oxidation and stabilize the

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microbiological conditions in the process.

c) The pulp comprising of the coarse skin and cell fragments are separated from the rasped

potatoes. This separation step is conducted by means of conical rotating sieves, the centrisieves.

For better starch isolation, water is applied to the sieves through nozzles. While starch and fruit

water pass through, the fibers are retained by the sieves. The pulp is drained or pressed off and

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Figure 1: Potato Starch Extraction Process


used directly as feed while still damp or dried in flash dryers. The pulp is used as mix feed

because of its high feed value because of its protein and residue starch content.

d) In the next step, the fruit water is separated in several steps by means of hydro-cyclone

plants. Separated fruit water has a high content of proteins, amino acids, and mineral

nutrients. About one half of the soluble proteins are coagulated by treatment with acid and heat

and then separated in decanters. The remaining fruit water is evaporated and used for fertilizing.

e) Fresh water is introduced at this stage to raffinate the potato starch. Raffination removes

the remaining impurities from the starch.

f) Refined starch milk has a dry matter content of about 35 % to 40 %. The starch is dewatered

by rotary vacuum filtration to moisture contents below 40 %. The centrifugal action in filtration

helps to make extraction faster.

g) Drying is conducted by means of a flash dryer. Starch must not exceed 15 % of residual

moisture to be suitable for storage.

Figure 2: Industrial Potato Starch Extraction process

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1.6 Industrial applications:Potato starch finds its applications in following industries

• Abrasives (paper and cloth)

• Adhesive

• Baby foods

• Bakery products (bread, rolls, cakes, pies, etc.)

• Baking powder

• Batteries, dry cell

• Beverages, brewed (beer, ale, etc.)

• Biscuits, crackers and cookies

• Binder or binder agents

• Board (corrugating, laminating solid fiberboard, cardboard)

• Briquettes (of coal and charcoal)

• Carpet and rug sizing

• Ceramics (as clay binder)

• Chemicals

• Chocolate drink

• Cigarette package sealing

• Cleaners, detergents

• Coatings on wood, metal and paper

• Cones, ice cream

• Confectionery

• Core binder (castings, moulds, etc.)

• Cosmetics (dusting, foot powders, etc.)

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• Crayon and chalk

• Desserts (puddings, custards, etc.)

• Dispersing and standardizing agent

• Drugs and pharmaceuticals

• Drums, fiberboard

• Dyes

• Fermentation processes

• Fiber glass size

• Food and drug coatings (edible)

• Inks, printing

• Insecticide powders

• Insulating material (glass wool, rock wool, etc.)

• Leather

• Laundry (home and commercial)

• Lubricating agents

• Oilcloth

• Ore refining (electrolytic reduction process, flotation process, etc.)

• Paints (cleaning compounds, cold water and latex paints, poster, lacquers, etc.)

• Paper and paper products

• Plastics

• Printing

• Protective colloids (emulsions)

• Textiles (warp sizing and finishing)

• Tile, ceiling

• Tires, rubber

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Figure 3: Applications of Potato Starch


• Wallboard and wallpaper

• Water recovery, industrial

• Gravies and sauces

• Meat products

• Mixes, prepared (pancake, waffle, cake, candy, etc)

• Mustard, prepared

• Pie filling

• Precooked frozen meals

• Salad dressing

• Soaps and cleaners

• Soups

• Icing Sugar

• Vegetables, canned

• Yeast

• Matches (on head and side of box)

• Oil-well drilling

• Ore separation

• Paints (cold-water, poster, etc.)

• Paper and paper products

• Sandpaper

• Soaps

• Textiles (sizing, finishing and printing)

• Tubes, spiral and convolute

• Twine, cord, string, etc.

• Wallboard and wallpaper

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1.7 Some interesting facts about potatoes (5) • was probably first cultivated more than 8,000 years ago, in the Andean highlands near

Lake Titicaca

• is grown today in more than 125 countries around the globe

• is related to aubergine, tomato and tobacco, but not to sweet potato

• is available in over 5.000 cultivars from more than 100 wild-types

• provided – with its tiny starch grains – the basis for the Lumière brothers’ 1903 patent

for a color photography technique

• comprises up to 80 % water

• was the first vegetable to grow in space (onboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, in

1995)

• is rich in vitamin C and essential minerals such as manganese, selenium and

molybdenum

• doesn’t absorb salt during cooking

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Chapter-2 Experimentation

CHAPTER -2

EXPERIMENTATION

Experiment #1

Objective: Extraction of starch from waste potatoesMaterial:

• Approx. 100 g clean (not muddy) potatoes

• Grater

• Tea strainer

• Distilled water

• Pestle and mortar

• 100 cm3 measuring cylinder.

Procedure:

• Grate about 100 g potato. The potato does not need to be peeled, but it should be clean.

• Put the potato into the mortar and add about 100 cm3 distilled water. Grind the potato

carefully.

• Pour the liquid off through the tea strainer into the beaker, leaving the potato behind in

the mortar. Add 100 cm3 water, grind and strain twice more.

• Leave the mixture to settle in the beaker for 5 minutes.

• Decant the water from the beaker, leaving behind the white starch which should have

settled in the bottom. Add about 100 g distilled water to the starch and stir gently.

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• Leave to settle again and then decant the water, leaving the starch behind.

Figure 4: Lab Scale Starch Extraction Process

Observations & calculations

Weight of potato (raw material) =100g

Weight of water=density*volume=100cm3 X 1000kg X 1m3 X 1000g / 1m3 X (100cm)3 X 1kg =100g

Total Weight of raw material or reactant=100+100=200g

Weight of product (starch) =10g

%age yield= 10/200*100=5%

Conclusion:

• The yield of starch was low

• This shows that extraction of starch is not economical as much but still globally millions

of ton starch is producing by the technique

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• Drying time is the major constraint in this process

• Open air drying requires about a day or more depending upon the climatic condition

• The residue obtained in this process is starch free potato crush and it can be utilize in

food products. So nothing in this process goes wasted

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[6]EXPERIMENT#2

Objective: Production of synthetic glue from potatoesApparatus:

• Beakers

• Stirrer

• Thermometer

• Burner

• potato starch

Procedure:

• Measure up about 4 deciliter of water in pan & put to boil on the hot plate.

• Take about one and a half tablespoons of starch and mix with about half to one deciliter

or so of cold water.

• Be sure to stir out any lumps until its smooth.

• Take boiling water of the hob.

• Pour the starch and cold water in a thin stream in the boiling hot water

• Pour the glue into a suitable container.

• Put in the fridge and let cool then go out and glue stuff on walls

Observation & calculation

Weight of starch=20g

Weight of water=60g

Total Weight of reactants=80

Total Weight of products=60

%age yield=50/80=75%

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Figure 5: Lab scale production of Synthetic gum

Conclusions:

• High yield of synthetic gum was obtained

• This process was safest and probably the cheapest one

• Amount of water was carefully controlled to give the proper moisture content to gum

• Heating requirements are not much high making the process economical

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EXPERIMENT#3

Objective: Production of custard powder from potatoes.Procedure:

• Took a weighed amount of potatoes and wash them.

• Peel them out and diced.

• Blend these diced potatoes with plenty of water

• Filter this mesh and collect the filtrate.

• Dry this filtrate in open air.

• Finally we had the moisture free starch and this was our custard powder too.

• Directly used in custard making.


Weight of potato (raw material)=100g

Weight of water=density*volume=100cm3 X 1000kg X 1m3 X 1000g / 1m3 X (100cm)3 X 1kg =100g

Total Weight of raw material or reactant=100+100=200g

Wt. of product (custard powder) =10g

%age yield= 10/200*100=5%

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Conclusion:

• This is the simplest way to making custard powder

• No additives no preservatives yet the best quality product.

• Essences or flavors could be added

• The yield of custard power was very low approximately 10%.

• This shows that the process is not economically viable but still it is the best because we

are getting this much product from trash (i.e. waste potatoes).

• In this regard we recommend this process.

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EXPERIMENT#4

Objective: To learn how to make a plastic film from potato starch (with glycerin).

Materials:

• Starch

• Glycerin

• Hot plate

• 250 mL beaker

• Sodium bicarbonate

• 50 mL beaker

• Baking pan

Procedure:

• Add 15 g of potato starch to 105 mL of water in a 250 mL beaker.

• Add 10 mL of glycerin to the water solution and stir the contents. Solution should look

opaque.

• In a separate 50 mL beaker add 2.5 g of sodium bicarbonate to 30 mL of water.

• Place the 250 mL beaker of the starch solution on a hot plate set at 130C and continues to

stir.

• Continue to stir until the mixture becomes thick and almost transparent (about 5-7 min).

• Add the solution of sodium bicarbonate and water to the starch solution and continue to

stir for an additional 1-2 min.

• Pour the mixture onto a baking pan in a thin sheet.

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• Place in oven to dry.

Figure 6: Bioplastic with Glycerin


Weight of starch=15

Weight of water=105

Weight of glycerin=density*volume=1261(kg/m3 ) X 1000g X 1m3 X 10cm3 /1m3 X 1kg X (100cm)3 = 12.61g

Weight of sodium bicarbonate solution=32.5g

Total weight of reactant=165.11g

Total weight of product=127

%age yield=127/165.11=76.92%

Conclusion

• Plastic film made was smooth in texture and a consistent layer was obtained

• Glycerin gives the required texture

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EXPERIMENT#5

Objective: to make a plastic (crispy) from potato starch (without glycerin)Materials:

• starch

• Water

• Hot plate

• 250 mL beaker

• Acetic acid

• Balance

• Stir rod

• Sodium bicarbonate

• 50 mL beaker

• Baking pan

Procedure #1:

• Add 15 g of potato starch to 105 mL of water in a 250 mL beaker.

• In a separate 50 mL beaker add 2.5 g of sodium bicarbonate to 30 mL of water.

• Place the 250 mL beaker of the starch solution on a hot plate set at 130C and continues to

stir.

• Continue to stir until the mixture becomes thick and almost transparent (about 5-7 min).

• Add the solution of sodium bicarbonate and water to the starch solution and continue to

stir for an additional 1-2 min.

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• Pour the mixture onto a baking pan in a thin sheet.

• Place in oven to dry.

Figure 7: Bioplastic without glycerin


Weight of starch=15

Weight of water=105

Weight of sodium bicarbonate solution=32.5g

Total wt. of reactant=152.5

Total wt. of product=102

%age yield=66.88%

Conclusions

• Plastic film made was crispy or stiff

o This shows that smoothness was due to glycerin which gives a smooth texture to

the product.

o Therefor we recommended the plastic with glycerin

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• Heating time has the direct effect on the appearance of product i.e. if short time would

give to sample the product would be cloudy.

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[7]EXPERIMENT#6:

Objective: Making of noodles from potato starchIngredients:

• 1 egg

• 1 1/2 Table sp. potato starch

• A pinch of salt

• Oil

Method:

• Beat the egg and the potato starch together.

• Lightly cover the bottom of a skillet with oil.

• Pour the egg mixture in, tilting the skillet so that the egg spreads and makes a crepe.

• Let the crepe fry until we can manipulate it off the surface of the skillet with a spatula.

Flip it over and fry it some more, till its crisp and covered with brown spots.

• Set the first crepe aside while you repeat the process till you’ve used up all the egg

mixture.

• Roll each crepe up.


Weight of oil=0.94g

Weight of egg=4g

Weight of starch=10g

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Weight of salt=0.1g

Total Weight of reactant=15.04

Total Weight of product=13.98

%age yield=92.95%

Figure 8: Lab Scale production of noodles from potato starch.

Conclusions:

• No material wasted all used and gives the product.

• This experiment shows that this is one of the best and easiest way of noodle making.

• Also this process is economical even if tried of large scale.

• No critical control is required.

• Quality does not affected at all even there would be a significant change in process

conditions.

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• Results shows this process is best to be adopted

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[8]EXPERIMENT#7

Objective: Production of bio ethanol from waste potatoesMaterial

• Potato mesh

• Alpha-amylase

• Phosphoric acid

• Glucoamylase enzyme

Procedure:

• Five kg of potatoes was used in each batch. Potato tubers were mashed to a particle size

of about 5 mm.

• The mash was cooked in a water bath for one hour.

• A portion of the alpha-amylase was added before cooking.

• After boiling, the mash was cooled to 80-90 oC and the rest of alpha amylase was added.

After one-hour liquefaction, the mash was allowed to cool to 60 oC for 30 minutes.

• Before saccharification the pH of the mash was adjusted from about 6 to 4,2-4,4 with

phosphoric acid and the glucoamylase enzyme was added.

• After 90 minutes saccharification, the mash was cooled to 30 oC and the yeast was added.

During 6 days fermentation, the mash was mixed regularly.

• Ethanol was separated from beer with a two-phase distillation.

• The first distillation was in the temperature range 20-94oC.

• The distillate was handled with carbon and CuSO4 and then the solution was distilled to a

temperature of 90 oC. Potato cultivars 3 to 7 were processed two times.

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Observations & Calculations:

Weight of potatoes=1000g

Weight of water=1000g volume=1liter

Volume of mesh=500ml

Volume of filtered mesh=499ml

Weight of sample after first distillation stage=120ml

Weight of sample after second distillation stage=80ml

Weight of sample after third distillation stage=60ml

Yield=60/499=12.02%

Figure 9: Production of Alcohol

Conclusions:

• Major process constrains were temperature and time given to the intermediates.

• pH was a critical issue in this experiment

• Redistillation gives the best quality alcohol but of course the yield was drastically

effected

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Washing

Cooking

Starch hydrolysisEnzymes

FermentationYeast Carbon dioxide

Distillation

Ethanol


• Analysis of result shows that this process needs optimization.

Result discussion (Experiment#1-7):• We are having very low yield of starch b/c starch is not the massive body of potato it is

the nutrient or just a content of the whole potato body

• Same is in the case of custard powder which is actually the starch

• In comparison to both above the synthetic gum have the highest yield which is probably

due to low loss of water content and no starch loses and what we are adding almost fully

converted to product (considering water loses)

• In case of plastics the yield is also good

• The glycerin (propan-1, 2, 3-triol) is acting as a plasticiser. Plasticisers are used in

commercial products to change the properties of the polymer, just as you have used the

propan-1,2,3-triol to change the properties of the potato plastic. The propan-1,2,3-triol

gets in between the polymer chains and prevents them from lining up in rows to form a

crystalline structure. When the polymer becomes crystalline, it also becomes brittle and

inflexible. The plasticizer as a small molecule that gets between the polymer chains and

helps them to slide easily over each other so that the polymer behaves like a plastic.

• Alcohol making was the most critical task in our project .the low yield but high quality

alcohol was made yield was low due to redistillation.

• Another reason of low yield is the poor conversion of potato mesh into alcohol.

• Low conversion shows that there should be some flaw in fermentation phase.

• So we can assumed that well fermented mesh may give the best yield

Future recommendations:• From this series of experiments we suggested the following recommendations for the

subjected processes;

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• Although starch extraction process gives low yield but still beneficial because we are

getting something valuable from nothing(waste potatoes)

• The purposes of gum, plastic, and noodles making from starch were to enlighten the vast

usage of starch in industries.

• Anyone who will invest in this sector will definitely earn profit as rest of the world is

using this process industrially then why not us????

• Potato is not a seasonal crop and available round the year also it can be stored for long

long time with proper treatments and storage facility so there would be no issue for raw

material storage .this fact support the industrial production of starch.

• Although it seems funny but now a day people are getting fitness freak low fat potato

mean any one can use potato frequently without getting fat this could be an option for

starch producer i.e they can produce starch from potatoes and can make the residue

useful.

• Gum, noodles and custard powder are the cheapest option for industrial production,

industrial setups are easy to install and energy consumption is very low so these can be

adopted very easily.

• World is producing about 3.0 MMT potato starch but in this figure there is no share of

Pakistan, also potato is largest growing crop in the world.

• With proper investment starch industry can well flourish in Pakistan not very huge

investment and setups are required small industrial setups would also help the growing

economy of our country.

• We hope that this research project could be an initiative for the starch production from

waste potatoes in Pakistan.

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Chapter-3 INTRODUCTION TO PRODUCTS

CHAPTER-3

INTRODUCTION TO PRODUCTS

3.1 BIOPLASTIC:

"Environmentally friendly" plastics fall into three types:

• Bioplastics made from natural materials such as potato starch• Biodegradable plastics made from traditional petrochemicals, which are engineered to

break down more quickly

• Eco/recycled plastics, which are simply plastics made from recycled plastic materials rather than raw petrochemicals.

3.1.1 What is a bio plastic?[9]A bioplastic is a plastic that is made partly or wholly from polymers derived from biological

sources such as sugar cane, potato starch or the cellulose from trees, straw and cotton. Some

bioplastics degrade in the open air, others are made so that they compost in an industrial

composting plant, aided by fungi, bacteria and enzymes. Others mimic the robustness and

durability of conventional plastics such as polyethylene or PET. Bioplastics can generally be

directly substituted for their oil-based equivalent. Indeed, they can generally be made to be

chemically identical to the standard industrial plastics.

3.1.2 The world plastics industry and the role of bioplastics

The annual output of the world’s plastics industry is about 225 million tonnes a year.5 This

number has grown by a few per cent per year over the last decade. The bioplastics industry is

much smaller, with 2011 probably seeing a total output of about 1m tonnes, or less than half of

one per cent of total world plastics output. But the growth rate of bioplastics is much higher.

Most sources suggest that this part of the plastics industry is growing at least 20% a year.

3.1.3 The benefits from using bioplastics

a) Major consumer goods brands and bioplastics

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Over the last five years many of the world’s largest consumer good companies have begun to

employ bioplastics in the packaging of their products. Examples include Coca Cola’s use of a

mixture of a conventional plastic and bioplastic in its soft drink bottles, Proctor and Gamble’s

bioplastic shampoo packaging and Nestle’s adoption of a bioplastic top for his Brazilian milk

products. Coca Cola’s Plant Bottle uses petroleum PET and up to 30% plant based equivalent.

The bottle can be reprocessed through existing recycling facilities in exactly the same way as

other PET bottles.

Coca Cola aims at using bottles that are ‘made with 100 per cent plant- waste material while

remaining completely recyclable’, according to Scott Vitters, director of sustainable packaging at

the company.

Coca Cola recognizes the danger of raw material production for bioplastics diverting farmland

away from the production of food or resulting in the loss of woodland. But the newsletter

Business Green reported comments from Dr Jason Clay, senior vice president of market

transformation for the WWF, saying that Coca-Cola had taken precautionary measures to ensure

its bio-plastic does not inadvertently lead to deforestation and increased emissions.

‘Coca-Cola is currently sourcing raw materials for its PlantBottle from suppliers in Brazil,

where third parties have verified that best-in-class agricultural practices are the norm,” he said.

‘Preserving natural resources through sustainable agriculture is essential for businesses like

Coca-Cola as they search for ways to alleviate environmental challenges.’11

Jason Clay of WWF also has warm words for Proctor and Gamble’s new polyethylene bio

packaging, also made from sugar cane sourced from Brazil. ‘P&G’s commitment to use

renewable bio-derived plastic in its global beauty and grooming product packaging is an

important step forward in its efforts to improve the environmental profile of its products,’ he

said. Nestle is also moving rapidly towards the increased use of bioplastics, saying publicly in

July 2011 that it ‘is involved in over 30 projects to introduce bioplastics in its product packaging

portfolio worldwide.’13 In early 2011, the company launched packaging made from renewable

resources for its pet food packaging in the US.

The introduction of renewable and recyclable packaging hasn’t been problem free everywhere.

Sun Chips, a subsidiary of PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay snacks unit, recently stopped using an early

version of a compostable packaging film for most of its products. The plastic film made from

PLA – a renewable plastic made from corn starch – was regarded as ‘too noisy’ by customers.

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But SunChips didn’t lose its commitment to compostable plastic packaging. Instead its web site

says that ‘we’ve created a new, quieter fully compostable chip bag that’s easy on the ears. Our

new quieter compostable plastic bag will be rolling out over the next month’.14 (We believe that

the new packaging is still made from PLA) On the parent company’s web site, the statements

continue to stress the importance of renewable plastic films. ‘There’s enormous opportunity to

reduce our use of non-renewable resources by using plant-based materials,’ says Tony

Knoerzer, Frito-Lay’s Director of Sustainable Packaging

b) The value of the reduction in landfill/expensive preparation for recycling

Some bioplastics are as robust and durable as their oil-based equivalents. Others will rapidly

break down in commercial composting plants. These rapidly biodegradable plastics have high

value in some circumstances such as when plastics become inevitably mixed with other streams

of compostable waste and would otherwise need to be hand separated.

For example, quantities of plastic material are used in greenhouse applications. A productive

application for bioplastics is the ties that hold tomato vines to the support wires in commercial

greenhouses. After the crop is concluded, the waste organic material, including the ties and other

plant-based plastics such as the small pots in which plants are grown as seedlings, can be quickly

and efficiently cleared and taken to be composted. Conventional plastics would have to be

separated by hand at great expense and usually then sent to an incinerator or landfill.

A more substantial application also arises in the horticultural sector. Many field grown

vegetables are covered in a thin semi-transparent polypropylene mulch to help maintain even

temperatures, reduce water loss and protect the crop from insects. The mulch generally only lasts

for one season and then it has to be collected up and returned for recycling. This is a complex

and expensive process. A bioplastic mulch that will dissolve in the soil over the winter is much

better because it saves time and money but also adds to the carbon content of the soil, helping to

maintain fertility. In other important agricultural uses, such as for strimmer cord (‘weed wacker’

in the US, full biodegradability means that small pieces of plastic filament do not persist in the

environment.

Another example, likely to become one of the largest single applications for bioplastics, is single

use catering utensils.

Restaurants and coffee shops generate three streams of waste: unused food, packaging (for

example of sandwiches) and utensils such as cutlery. It is highly beneficial – as well as being

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advantageous to the brand image of the restaurant– to use fully compostable packaging and

utensils. All the waste can be put into one bin and shipped to the composting facility without

further intervention or labor cost. The thick pieces of plastic cutlery will need to shredded at the

composting site to encourage rapid biodegradation but this can happen automatically. Although

fully degradable cutlery costs about four times as much as conventional plastic utensils, the

reduction in time spend separating out plastics from food waste and, second, reducing landfill

cost, more than justifies the expense. As well as compostable utensils, it makes sense to use

bioplastic film to provide the windows in cardboard sandwich packets so that the packaging can

also be added to the stream of compostable items.

c) Litter

The best understood advantage of biodegradable bioplastics lies in the reduction of permanent

litter. Plastic single use shopping bags are the most obvious example of how plastics can pollute

the environment with huge and unsightly persistence. A large fraction of the litter in our oceans

is of disposable plastic bags. Cities and countries around the world are taking action against the

litter, sometimes by banning non-degradable plastic bags entirely. Italy has decided to block the

use of non-biodegradable single use shopping bags from the beginning of 2012. The city of

Portland, Oregon has just

(July 2011) joined several dozen US municipalities in banning most plastic bags. These

legislative changes represent a clear trend as politicians respond to the irritation over the

persistence of plastic bag litter in the world’s seas, rivers and rural and urban environments.

Some places will continue to allow plastic bags that are genuinely biodegradable and meet the

published standards for compostability. (Bags that are oxy-degradable, and only break down in

to very small pieces rather than truly biodegrading, will generally be banned). Biodegradable

bioplastic bags will be allowed in Italy, providing a huge boost to the European market for these

products not least because until now the country has been the largest European market for single

use shopping bags.

3.1.4 Bioplastics demand will continue to grow

Continued research and development in bioplastics is creating high quality products for a wide

variety of industries.

Now that the benefits of biologically sourced plastics are well-understood, their market share is

likely to rise sharply.

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The three drivers of growth – the importance of brand image to consumer goods companies, the

value of joint composting and the reduction of litter – will provide the spur for continued growth

in bioplastics across the world.

3.1.5 The other advantages of bioplastics

Five major advantages of bioplastcs :

• Potentially a much lower carbon footprint

• Lower energy costs in manufacture

• Do not use scarce crude oil

• Reduction in litter and improved compostability from using biodegradable

bioplastics

• Improved acceptability to many households

There are also some significant technical advantages to bioplastics; these depend on the precise

plastic used and how it is made. Products characteristics of value can include

• Improved ‘printability’, the ability to print a highly legible text or image on the plastic

• A less ‘oily’ feel. Bioplastics can be engineered to offer a much more acceptable surface feel

than conventional plastics

• Less likelihood of imparting a different taste to the product contained in a plastic container.

Milk, for example, will acquire a new taste in a styrene cup but the bioplastic alternative has no

such effect.

• A bioplastic may have much greater water vapour permeability than a standard plastic. In some

circumstances, such as sandwich packaging, this can be a disadvantage, but in the case of newly

baked bread a bioplastic container will offer a significant advantage in letting out excess vapour

or steam.

• A bioplastic can feel softer and more tactile. For applications such as cosmetics packaging, this

can be a major perceived consumer benefit.

• Bioplastics can be made clearer and more transparent (although they are usually more opaque)

• Plastics made from biological sources still need to contain additives such as plasticisers that

give the product its required characteristics. But bioplastics do not contain bisphenol A, an

additive thought to leak from plastics and which is an endocrine disruptor and mimics sex

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hormones. Bisphenol A is not yet banned in most countries because the chemical is rapidly

excreted by most creatures, including humans. But the high levels of continuing exposure to this

worrying chemical from conventional plastics may mean that consumers will want to avoid this

chemical and shift to safer bioplastic alternatives.

3.1.6 Are bioplastics good or bad?

Anything that helps humankind solve the plastics problem has to be a good thing, right?

Unfortunately, environmental issues are never quite so simple. Actions that seem to help the

planet in obvious ways sometimes have major drawbacks and can do damage in other ways. It's

important to see things in the round to understand whether "environmentally friendly" things are

really doing more harm than good.

Bioplastics and biodegradable plastics have long been controversial. Manufacturers like to

portray them as a magic-bullet solution to the problem of plastics that won't go away.

Bioplastics, for example, are touted as saving 30–80 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions

you'd get from normal plastics and they can give food longer shelf-life in stores. But here are

some of the drawbacks:

When some biodegradable plastics decompose in landfills, they produce methane gas. This is a

very powerful greenhouse gas that adds to the problem of global warming.

Biodegradable plastics and bioplastics don't always readily decompose. Some need relatively

high temperatures and, in some conditions, can still take many years to break down. Even then,

they may leave behind toxic residues.

Bioplastics are made from plants such as corn and maize, so land that could be used to grow food

for the world is being used to "grow plastic" instead. By 2014, almost a quarter of US grain

production is expected to be turned over to biofuels and bioplastics production, potentially

causing a significant rise in food prices that will hit the poorest people hardest.

Some bioplastics, such as PLA, are made from genetically modified corn. Most

environmentalists consider GM (genetically modified) crops to be inherently harmful to the

environment.

Bioplastics and biodegradable plastics cannot be easily recycled. To most people, PLA looks

very similar to PET (polyethylene terephthalate) but, if the two are mixed up in a recycling bin,

the whole collection becomes impossible to recycle. There are fears that increasing use of PLA

may undermine existing efforts to recycle plastics.

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http://www.explainthatstuff.com/introduction-to-environmentalism.html

http://www.explainthatstuff.com/biofuels.html

http://www.explainthatstuff.com/globalwarmingforkids.html


3.2 CUSTARD POWDER

3.2.1 Description[10]Custard powder originated as a boon for people who wanted an alternative to eggs. It looks a

lot like corn flour and the reason being that the base used is cornstarch along with salt and

flavorings. It is an ingredient which has aided everyone to make custard in a jiffy.

To make a recipe with custard powder, the basic steps followed is as follows:

Combine sugar, milk and custard powder in a broad pan to make a paste. Add hot milk and stir

till sugar dissolves and becomes a thick creamy sauce. Use as required.

3.2.2 Culinary Uses

• Use custard powder sauces over puddings, cakes and other desserts.

• Pour over mixed fruits to make fruit salad with custard.

• Use as a sauce poured over jellies.

• Combine with mixed fruits and pour over tart shells to make fruit tarts. Bake or chill.

Serve with glaze and fruit slices.

3.2.3 How to store

Store in an air tight container in a cool and dry place away from direct sunlight and humidity.

3.2.4 Health Benefits

It is a good alternative for people who want to avoid eggs. It thus aids in minimizing the

cholesterol levels in custard.

3.3 ALCOHOL

3.3.1 Description:

Ethanol fermented from renewable sources for fuel or fuel additives are known as bio-ethanol.

Additionally, the ethanol from biomass-based waste materials is considered as bio-ethanol.

Currently, there is a growing interest for ecologically sustainable bio-fuels. The target in the

European Union is to increase bio-energy contributions in total energy consumption from 3 to 12

% by the year 2010. In Finland bio-ethanol is already used as additive in some gasoline products

instead of toxic MTBE and TAME.

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Bio-ethanol production from potatoes is based on the utilization of waste potatoes. Waste

potatoes are produced from 5-20 % of crops as by-products in potato cultivation. At present,

waste potatoes are used as feedstock only in one plant in Finland. Oy Shaman Spirits Ltd in

Tyrnävä (near Oulu) uses 1.5 million kilograms of waste potatoes per year. Because this potato-

based bio-ethanol production is just in embryo in Finland, there is a strong need for its research

and development. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop different analytical methods

for bio-ethanol production from waste potatoes and to study the effect of potato cultivar on bio-

ethanol production. As well, the waste solution from the distillation process was analyzed.

3.3.2 Uses[11]

Drink it

Over 90% of the UK adult population drinks

alcohol. It is widely associated with

socializing and relaxing and studies have

shown some possible health benefits.

Burn it

Methanol and ethanol can be used as an

alternative to fossil fuels as they burn very

cleanly, producing only carbon dioxide and

water. Ethanol is considered a renewable fuel

as it can be made from renewable sources

such a sugar cane. It's really useful for

countries without an oil industry as it reduces

their dependence upon imports of petrol.

Wear it

As ethanol is the least toxic of the alcohols it

is used in perfumes to stop the plant and

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http://www.alcoholandyou.org.uk/Society/health.html


animal extracts from going off. The amount

added depends on whether you are making a

perfume, toilet water or cologne.

Dissolve in it

As ethanol is the safest of the alcohols it is

often used to dissolve chemicals that are

insoluble in water. Examples include

perfumes, cosmetics and vegetable essences

such as vanilla extract.

Clean with it

Bottles of methylated spirits lying around,

which is ethanol with a small quantity of

methanol added. The methanol makes the

mixture highly poisonous and unsafe to drink,

however it is very good for cleaning paint

brushes.

[12]Natural De-Greaser

Reported to moonlight as a cheap and easy de-greaser, I poured some onto a cloth and wiped

down my stove, vent and teapot. It worked great, and cost much less than products marketed to

do the same thing. Several websites suggest wiping down all kitchen appliances including

chrome to clean and shine. One notes, there is no need to rinse afterwards because the rubbing

alcohol dries almost immediately. This technique also scores points for reducing the number of

chemicals sprayed around the kitchen and bathroom, similar to using baking soda or vinegar.

Easy Ice Pack

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Handy rubbing alcohol ice packs can be made by combining one part rubbing alcohol with two

parts water in a zip lock freezer bag. Voila! The rubbing alcohol prevents the bag from freezing

solid. Ready for emergencies or maybe just the morning after the big office party.

Health and Beauty

Helping out in the beauty and fashion department, rubbing alcohol can substitute for nail polish

remover and clean the backs of pierced earrings as well. In a pinch, you can use rubbing alcohol

instead of deodorant. Melissa Howard writes on eHow that by adding 15 drops of essential oil to

a fine-mist spray bottle filled with rubbing alcohol you will have an instant grooming staple. She

cautions to avoid applying immediately after shaving the arm pits.

Medical Marvels

In the case of mosquito bites and cold sores, dabbing a little rubbing alcohol onto affected areas

will dry out the areas (in a good way!), relieve itchiness and reduce the cold sore.

Fire Starter

Speaking of fire is sure to keep rubbing alcohol away from heat and flame since it is extremely

flammable. Unless of course, trying to start a fire.

Stain Removal

Rubbing alcohol can be used to blot away fresh ink stains on carpet or clothing. For tougher

stains, soak the spot in rubbing alcohol for several minutes, then wash.

Sticky Stuff

Rubbing alcohol has long been a popular choice for removing sticky residue left behind from

price tags, band aids and stickers. Soak the area for a few minutes, or dab onto skin, and wipe

clean.

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http://www.ehow.com/how_4515503_use-rubbing-alcohol-as-deodorant.html

Chapter-4 C LITERATURE CITED

CHAPTER -4

LITERATURE CITED

(1) http://www.ienica.net/crops/potatoes.htm

(2) From Stiffness to Foodstuffs: A History of Starch by Lauren Roberts

(3)http://www.starch.dk/isi/starch/tm5www-potato.asp

http://www.primaryinfo.com/projects/potato-starch.htm

(4)http://dartways.com/business/10

(5)Potato starch – a versatile commodity - Bayer CropScience Mexico

(6)http://www.instructables.com/id/StarchgluePotatismjolsklister/step2/Measuring-the-water/

(7)http://www.israelikitchen.com/whats-cooking-for-shabbos-and-yom-tov/passover/passover-

cooking-potato-starch-noodles/

(8 Development of Bio-ethanol Production from Waste Potatoes

Henrikki Liimatainena, Toivo Kuokkanena and Jouni Kääriäinenb aUniversity of Oulu,

Department of Chemistry P.O.Box 3000, FIN-90014, University of Oulu, Finland bOy Shaman

Spirits Ltd.

(9) http://www.tarladalal.com/glossary-custard-powder-512i

(10) Bioplastics:an important component of global sustainability white paper september2011

(11) http://www.alcoholandyou.org.uk/facts/uses.html

(12) http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/12/04/25-alternative-uses-for-rubbing-alcohol/

(13) www.bayercropscience.com.mx/.../Potato_Starch.../potato_starch.pdf

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http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/12/04/25-alternative-uses-for-rubbing-alcohol/

http://www.alcoholandyou.org.uk/facts/uses.html

http://www.tarladalal.com/glossary-custard-powder-512i

http://www.israelikitchen.com/whats-cooking-for-shabbos-and-yom-tov/passover/passover-cooking-potato-starch-noodles/

http://www.israelikitchen.com/whats-cooking-for-shabbos-and-yom-tov/passover/passover-cooking-potato-starch-noodles/

http://www.instructables.com/id/StarchgluePotatismjolsklister/step2/Measuring-the-water/

http://www.bayercropscience.com.mx/bayer/cropscience/cscms.nsf/id/Potato_Starch_Agro/$file/potato_starch.pdf

http://dartways.com/business/10

http://www.primaryinfo.com/projects/potato-starch.htm

http://www.starch.dk/isi/starch/tm5www-potato.asp

http://www.ienica.net/crops/potatoes.htm

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