Moth Bean (Vigna aconitifolia) Starch: Properties, Modifications and Applications—A Review

Moth bean (Vigna aconitifolia) is considered an underutilized legume but has drawn considerable attention to researchers in recent years owing to its good nutritional value, lower glycemic index, and numerous health benefits. Despite the dietary importance of mung bean as well as starch, the starch extraction processes from moth bean seeds remain inadequately understood. This review discusses recent developments in starch extractability, physico-chemical and structural characteristics, and different food and non-food application to utilize moth bean as potential starch source. The starch properties depend mainly on its composition (amylose and amylopectin) and branched chains distribution. Moth bean starch (MBS) exhibited around 15% amylose content and a typical C-type crystalline structure with granules of diverse sizes and shapes. Different studies exhibited a positive correlation among amylose content and different characteristics of MBS including pasting profile, thermal properties, and its cooking quality. The modification of MBS has been done using some chemical treatments for functionality improvement. MBS possesses good techno-functional properties that can be exploited for different food product development and non-food applications. Owing to the promising potential exhibited by native and modified MBS, these can be explored as valuable functional ingredients in various food and non-food products. Finally, an outlook on potential utilization of MBS in the future is given.