Effect of ultrasound on structural and physicochemical properties of sweetpotato and wheat flours

Ultrasound technologies are increasingly used for modification of physicochemical properties of food systems. Effects of ultrasound (20 kHz, 750 W) up to 20 h on physicochemical properties of two varieties of sweetpotato flour were studied and compared with those of commercial wheat flour. Ultrasound induced structural modifications on starch granules mainly in the morphological changes of granules and reduction of the crystallinity. Longer treatment significantly decreased enthalpy change of gelatinization, pasting viscosities, gelling capacity, while increasing in vitro starch digestibility of raw flour. Besides, prolonged treatment reduced total phenolic contents and in vitro antioxidant activities of sweetpotato flours, mainly due to pyrolysis and release of hydroxyl radicals caused by cavitation. The extents of these changes were seen to depend on the treatment time and indicated degradation and modifications of the chemical components (e.g., starch and polyphenol) of flours. This study suggests that ultrasound processing as a non-thermal and energy-saving technique has potential to modify flour functionalities.