Longan seed starch: structure, functionality and applications

Fruits are generally consumed fresh or in processed form. However, the non-consumables such as stones, shells, peels, and in particular the embedded seeds that could otherwise be used in various food/non-food industries due to their economical aspect and plentiful accessibility, are discarded as waste, thereby creating environmental concerns. Giving credibility to the aforementioned concern of an exponential increase in industrial demand, novel starch sources from non-physicochemical consumables are being explored by researchers nowadays. These non-conventional starch sources are having special physicochemical, structural, and functional properties along with their growing market demand and are considered to be the probable alternative furnishing food supply needs of the ever-increasing world population. In addition, fruit wastes contain a significant amount of starch with unique features. In this regard, Longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) seed is one such non-conventional starch source, This chapter summarized the discussion on the composition, structure, and properties of longan seed starch. Moreover, the morphological modifications of longan seed starch for improving its thorough utilization/applications in varied food industries are also covered.