CHAPTER I

PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

The tropical condition in the Philippines gives forth luxuriant growth of plants. Among the

predominant food crops in the country are root and tuber crops found in forests, swamps and other

moist laden areas. Species of Alocasia, Cyrtosperma and Colocasia abound in swamps, canals and

river banks. Domestication has brought these plants in the surrounding canals of the household

which supposedly triggered their consequent agricultural development.

As a relatively well-known staple crop in the underdeveloped and developing countries,

it can serve as a weaning food and its leaves are sometimes used as vegetables for cooking. Taro

corms are very high in starch, and are a good source of dietary fiber.

Based on Statista, the production of Taro or Cocoyam on the Philippines in 2017 was

increased by 1.68% with the total of 109,374 tons compared to 2016. With this huge amount of

production Philippines ranked at 11th place in the world’s top producer of taro and 5th in exporting

taro.

The cocoyam has great potential as a substitute for commercial starches in the development

of food products. Among the most important considerations in selecting a starch substitute are its

physicochemical properties. Knowledge of the physicochemical properties of cocoyam starch may

expand its use as a food source, particularly as a starch

A highly organized mixture of two carbohydrate polymers, amylose and amylopectin,

which are synthesized by plant enzymes and simultaneously packed into dense water-insoluble
granules is called starch. Starch granules vary in size (1 to 100 microns [μ m] in diameter) and

shape, which are characteristic of their specific plant origin.

One of the top drivers of the world starch market is the elevating demand for starch along

with adhesives in packaging sectors and other industrial products. As per the different types of

application of starch, the global market could be segmented into colors, construction, food and

beverages, ceramics, textile, cosmetics, medicines and pharmaceuticals, and printing. Out of

which, the food sector has emerged as a dominating starch processing market. Since most types of

sugar are a derivative of starch, the growth in the food processing industry will prove vital for the

global market.

In home cooking and in commercial food processing native starches are used for their

thickening properties. Starch granules when heated in water gradually absorb water and swell in

size, causing the mixture to thicken. With continued heating however, the swollen granules

fragment, the mixture becomes less thick, and the amylose and amylopectin become soluble in the

hot mixture. This process of granule swelling and fragmenting is called gelatinization.

Starches of fine texture from cormels of cocoyam (Xanthosoma sagittifolium), cultivar Ede

ocha and cultivar Ede uhie were subjected to acid and enzyme modification treatments.

Observations on the functional properties showed that the modified cocoyam starches exhibited

higher bulk densities than the untreated starches. Native and modified starches with the high water

absorption capacity and swelling index were produced from cultivar Ede uhie.

In this study, the researchers are in the line with the desired result of producing starch with

the use of taro as the raw material and as a substitution to the commonly used crops to produce
starch. “AMYLUM Corporation” is the proposed name of the company. We will slowly start the

business by selling starch made up of cocoyam.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

General Objective

The main objective of this study is to design a starch manufacturing plant that will utilize

coco yam and supply the demand of our local food companies.

Specific Objectives

The goals of this study are to design and operate a coco yam manufacturing plant that can

supply the need of the food companies in the Philippines. And reduce the importation of the

product from other countries. The specific goals of our Corporation are:

1. To be able to design a low cost and high productive coco yam manufacturing plant that will

have an efficient and effective output operation.

2. To innovate the process extraction of starch.

3. To innovate a different packaging for starch

4. To determine the financial requirement, building place, and the materials needed for the

production.

5. To assess the health, safety and environment aspects of the plant.

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Cocoyam (Colocasia esculenta) is among the world's six most important root and tuber

crops (FAO, 2012). Cocoyam is a tropical plant grown primarily for its edible corms, the root and
vegetables. It is most commonly known as taro and is widely cultivated in the high rainfall areas

under flooded condition usually by small farmers (Journal of Medicinal Plants Studies, 2018).

Taro is generally grown as a backyard crop and is most often planted in tracts of land no

greater than a few' hundred square meters. However, there are some, areas in the Bicol region,

Negros Oriental and Cavite where the crop is cultivated in commercial scale although the

individual farm holdings are still less than one hectare. The, entire plant is utilized as food

depending on the variety. In the Bicol Region and in Eastern Visayas, the leaves and petioles are

just as important, if not more important, than the corms for vegetable. There are varieties

specifically grown for the leaves and petioles, for corms, and for both. The boiled corms serve as

substitute staple to many families particularly those living in the hinterlands where growing rice

is less feasible. Likewise, they are served as snack item in fom1 of boiled whole corm, fried chips,

confections and other preparations. Other Food Uses. Taro flour has been reportedly lIsed for

special baked products, beverages, baby food and others. However, they have not reached

commercially in the Philippines. The use of farm by-products from taro harvests for animal feed

is a common practice in the rural areas. The leaves, petioles and peelings are normally chopped,

cooked and fed directly to hogs. Feeding the corms to hogs is generally limited to overmatured,

damaged and unmarketable ones not suitable for food.

Starch is a white, granular and organic chemical that is produced by all green plants. Starch

is a soft, white, tasteless powder that is insoluble in cold water, alcohol, or other solvents. Starch

is a polysaccharide comprising glucose monomers joined in α 1,4 linkages. The simplest form of

starch is the linear polymer amylose; amylopectin is the branched form. Starch is manufactured in

the green leaves of plants from excess glucose produced during photosynthesis and serves the plant

as a reserve food supply. Starch is stored in chloroplasts in the form of granules and in such organs
 as the roots of the tapioca plant; the tuber of the potato; the stem pith of sago; and the seeds of

corn, wheat, and rice. When required, starch is broken down, in the presence of certain enzymes

and water, into its constituent monomer glucose units, which diffuse from the cell to nourish the

plant tissues. In humans and other animals, starch is broken down into its constituent sugar

molecules, which then supply energy to the tissues.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

1. Plant Location

The plant is designed to be built in Irigan City, Camarines Sur as it is one of the top

producing taros or coco yam in the country and to have an easy access of the raw materials needed.

We considered Eastern Visayas as it topped all the taro-producing regions with 22,320 metric tons

based on Philippine Statistics Authority PSA. Since Irigan City can provide our needs of taro and

it is near to other top provinces producing taro we considered it to be our plant location.

2. Market Limitations

The plant is anticipating for fifteen (15) years of operation after the plant has been

developed by the year 2022. Cocoyam starch, the product of the proposed plant, is to be endorsed

and sent to different industrial ventures of beverages, food and medicine.

3. Equipment Limitations

The major equipment that will be use will be purchased abroad, especially in China,

because there is a company specialized in manufacturing various processing equipment. Be that as

it may, manufacturing equipment to be utilized will be fabricated by required details given by

project engineers to guarantee product quality and machine efficiency. Other vital hardware should
 be acquired locally and globally. Units that will be bought and manufactured are completely

automated that incorporates periodic service and hardware installation assistance.

4. Environment Limitations

The plant has the responsibility to manage the environmental factors as well as the

activities that might affect the environment. Our Corporation will use coco yam as its main raw

materials and the peels and other waste products from coco yam will be processed to produce a

fertilizer that will be sold for an extra income of the proposed plant. The company will comply

with the existing environmental laws and regulations like ISO 9001 is the international standard

for a quality management system. In order to be certified to ISO 9001, a company must follow the

requirements set forth in the ISO 9001 Standard. The standard is designed to help companies at

many levels, including a focus on customer requirements, improving leadership within the

company, finding ways to continually improve, and more. The plant will also comply with ISO

14000 (Environmental Management Certification) which is a series of environmental management

standards developed and published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for

organizations. The ISO 14000 standards provide a guideline or framework for organizations that

need to systematize and improve their environmental management efforts. The ISO 14000

standards are not designed to aid the enforcement of environmental laws and do not regulate the

environmental activities of organizations. Lastly the ISO 22000 (Food Safety Management

System) is a Food Safety Management System that can be applied to any organization in the food

chain, farm to fork. Becoming certified to ISO 22000 allows a company to show their customers

that they have a food safety management system in place. This provides customer confidence in

the product. This is becoming more and more important as customers demand safe food and food

processors require that ingredients obtained from their suppliers to be safe. Hazard Analysis and
Critical Control Point (HACCP)is a preventative food safety system in which every step in the

manufacture, storage and distribution of a food product is scientifically analyzed for

microbiological, physical and chemical hazards. All the products of the proposed plant will

undergo HACCP system to ensure that food safety hazards are controlled and to prevent unsafe

food from reaching the consumers.

5. Technical Limitation

Food safety measures and programs are therefore required and should comply with the

policies and regulations, both the local and international government. For the maintenance, a well-

functioning Quality Assurance (QA) Program is necessary to ensure the product’s safety and to

make sure that the product meets the required standards. Such programs will be based on the

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP and QACCP). For the establishment, the

programs are therefore assigned and are taken responsibility by the QA personnel and the

execution of the programs will involve the staff and the workers of the company. All the processes

involved in the production activities are monitored and controlled within the effectivity of the

programs established. The raw materials are verified through analysis. The products are inspected

for the determination of the foreign contaminants and residues. Factors such as the quality,

including the chemical, physical, and the microbiological hazards are inspected for identification

and the records are to be kept so that various actions must be taken to improve the process control.

After the production, the product is then packaged and labelled.

6. Financial Limitations

The starting capital of the venture will be a 80/20 ratio from a business bank subjected to

a 15% interest and from the company’s investors. In addition, a 5% yearly increment in the

company’s sales will be considered.

For better understanding of terms, the key terms will be defined for use in this paper at

least.

Amylopectin. Amylopectin is the polysaccharide in the oval-shaped polysaccharide

granules (Ryley et al., 1969) and amylopectin phosphorylase is probably the enzyme that produces

glucose-1-phosphate from the granules (Wang et al., 1975).

Amylose. It is a polysaccharide made of α-D-glucose units, bonded to each other through

α (1→4) glycosidic bonds. It is one of the two components of starch, making up approximately

20-30%. Because of its tightly packed helical structure, amylose is more resistant to digestion than

other starch molecules and is therefore an important form of resistant starch (Journal of Chemical

Education, 2016).

Cocoyam. It is herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the family Araceae and are grown

primarily for their edible roots, although all parts of the plant are edible (The Global Diversity of

Taro, 2016)

Dietary Fiber. It is a type of carbohydrate that cannot be digested by our bodies' enzymes.

It is found in edible plant foods such as cereals, fruits, vegetables, dried peas, nuts, lentils and

grains. Fiber is grouped by its physical properties and is called soluble, insoluble or resistant starch

(Better Health Channel in Food, 2010).

Starch Gelatinization. It is the process where starch and water are subjected to heat

causing the starch granules to swell. As a result, the water is gradually absorbed in an irreversible

manner. This gives the system a viscous and transparent texture. The result of the reaction is a gel,

which is used in sauces, puddings, creams and other food products, providing a pleasing texture

(Science Meets Food, 2014).

enzymatically, or chemically treating native starch, thereby changing the properties of the starch.

Modified starches are used in practically all starch applications, such as in food products as a

thickening agent, stabilizer or emulsifier; in pharmaceuticals as a disintegrant; as binder in coated

paper (Annual Review of Plant Biology, 2015).