Thesis (BS Food Technology) -- University of the Philippines Mindanao, 2009

The feasibility of the dry extraction process for sago grading was evaluated. Sago flour was obtained from three mesh sizes (60, 100, and 200) namely the fine and course fraction each. Parameters assessed were: (1) percent recovery, (2) proximate analysis, (3) total starch content, (4) total polyphenol content (TPC) in terms of gallic acid equivalents (GAE), and (5) anti-oxidation potential. Results have shown a recovery of 61.50 to 89.40% sago material after successive sieving under specified mesh sizes with a negatively high significant starch and ash correlation (r = 0.9808, t>0.005). The total starch analyses of course fractions were as follows: C60 (74.6458 ± 1.2029%), C100 (68.6585 ± 0.9625%), and C200 (64.6709 ± 1.1446%) while the fine fractions? starch content were: F60 (88.3053 ± 1.7827%), F100 (92.8679 ± 1.4913%) and F200 (96.6232 ±1.0287%) with total polyphenol content (TPC) rang higher than those of known foodstuff [course = 31.5 to 42.763 mg GAE/g sample (wet basis); fine = 2.83 to 6.17 mg GAE/g sample (wet basis)]. A study was conducted to compare three methods of assay for antioxidant capacity. The TPC, DPPH and FRAP assays were highly correlated with each other (TPC vs. FRP, r = 0-9862, t > 0.005, negative correlation). The three methods were concluded to have a predictive capacity for antioxidant activities in sago flour. Using the above results, a grading scheme for sago flour is proposed based on proximate composition, starch, phenolics content and antioxidant potential. This may set sago flour apart from other cereal or grain flours in terms of health-promoting functions such as reduction of oxidative stress in the body