Effect of Physical and Chemical Modifications on Purity, Proximate Composition, and Amylose Content of Nymphaea Pubescens and Nelumbo Nucifera Seed Starches: Relevance to Pharmaceutical Excipients

Manufacturing medicines in developing countries often face high cost due to high dependence on imported starches. Locally grown plants with high starch content such as Nymphaea pubescens (water lily) and Nelumbo nucifera (lotus) could serve as in-expensive natural excipients that support both modern and traditional medicine systems. To investigate the effect of pregelatinization, acetylation, and oxidation on proximate composition, purity, and amylose content of N. pubescens and N. nucifera seed starches. Starches were extracted using aqueous methods and were modified by pregelatinization, acetylation, and oxidation. Proximate composition (moisture, protein, fat, fiber, ash), carbohydrate content and purity were determined. Amylose content was measured by iodine colorimetry. N. nucifera (60.55 %) exhibited the highest starch yield upon extraction. Among native starches, N. pubescens starch exhibited high purity (90.27 %) and amylose content (30.57 %), while N. nucifera starch showed high protein (24.35 %) and ash (3.60 %) with lower purity (68.26 %) and amylose (18.70 %). Pregelatinization indicated improved starch purity in both N. pubescens (91.01 %) and N. nucifera (77.94 %) starches. Acetylated N. pubescens starch increased ash content (2.28 %) possibly due to reaction salts, whereas oxidation moderately increased ash content (1.10 %) with slightly improved purity. Carbohydrate and amylose content remained largely unchanged across all modifications. Physical and chemical modifications affected non-starch components such as protein, fat, fiber and ash contents rather than total carbohydrate content, purity and amylose content. N. pubescens starch demonstrated superior compositional suitability for development as a natural pharmaceutical excipient.