A Study of the Production of Glucose Syrup from Cassava Starch using Acid Hydrolysis and the Preservation using Sodium Bisulfite

The production of glucose syrup from cassava starch using acid hydrolysis was carried out in this work. The analysis was based on the preservation of the produced glucose syrup using sodium bisulfite (NaHSO3). The concentration of the preservative was varied from 0.0ppm-30.0ppm (where ppm stands for amount of preservative in a million pert of sample). The ability of the preservative (sodium bisulfite) to sustain the shelf life of glucose syrup was investigated by studying its effects on the physiochemical properties (pH, moisture content, pour point, viscosity, specific gravity, and refractive index) of the glucose syrup. Four (4) different runs of experiment were performed within sixty-four (64) days, during which the physiochemical properties were closely monitored. Sample B1 which contain no sodium bisulfite could not retain the physiochemical properties. Sample B2 contain 5ppm of the preservative in the glucose syrup and shows a little stability of the physiochemical properties. The preservative ability of the sodium bisulfite on the glucose syrup was improved upon as the concentration in part per million increased (i.e from sample B3 to sample B4, from sample B4 to sample B5, in that order etc.). The optimum preservative ability was reached at sample B5 (which has 20.0ppm concentration of sodium bisulfite.) as the physiochemical properties was relatively maintained. Samples B6 and B7 (which have 25.0 and 30.0 part per million respectively) also show a -stable preservative abilities. These samples that contain higher concentrations of sodium bisulfite after the optimum (that is, samples B6 andB7) which also yield stable preservative properties, should be discouraged because their intake could lead to health hazards, and the optimum preservative concentration should be encouraged.(That is, sample B5).