Nur Izzati Suraiya Mohamad Zaid1, Elham Taghavi2,3, Hamed Mahdavian Mehr4, Awang Zulfikar Rizal Awang Seruji5, Nadiah Wan Rasdi6,7, Nabilah Abdul Hadi1*
1Faculty of Food Science and Agrotechnology, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
2Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries (AKUATROP), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
3Faculty of Agro-Industrial Technology, Universitas Padjadjaran, Jatinangor, Sumedang Regency, West Java 45363, Indonesia
4Department of Food Science and Technology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, PO Box 91775-7 1163, Mashhad, Iran 5Downstream Technology Division, CRAUN Research Sdn. Bhd., Jalan Sultan Tengah, Petra Jaya, 93050 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
6Faculty of Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
7Plankton Responses and Innovation Development Research Interest Group, Faculty of Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia
*Corresponding author’s email: nabilah.abdhadi@umt.edu.my
Received: 10 November 2025 / Revised: 03 February 2026 / Accepted: 16 February 2026 / Published Online: 28 February 2026
Abstract
Naturally abundance in the versatile functional properties has allowed starch to gain interest across industries like food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Dioscorea hispida Dennst. (D. hispida), a wild tuber, native to some regions, has been considered as potentially useful for industrial applications following its availability and unexplored attributes. This study explores the complementary effects of various modification methods, compromising heat (physical), octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA) esterification (chemical), and dual treatment, with D. hispida starch as the single stabiliser in Pickering emulsion system. Upon formulation as emulsifiers in the Pickering emulsions, the starches microstructure, creaming, stability upon centrifugation, rheological performance and colour were categorised. The molecular structure, crystallinity, morphology and thermal attributes of the starches were examined to assess their stability for emulsification. Modification of starches led to the increase of starch granules to 3.52 µm, from 3.04 µm. Lowest emulsion stability after four weeks was demonstrated by dual modification (78.26 %), associated with 23.84 µm of droplets’ sizes. As indictment of their flow properties, all Pickering emulsion samples exhibited shear-thinning rheological behaviour. These findings implored that D. hispida starch is a promising substitution for traditional stabiliser, ensuring a green-label ingredient. Extensive research is recommended to evaluate its stability in the long run for further applications.
Keywords: Starch modification, D. hispida, Pickering emulsion, Synergistic effect
