A study of Microscopic characteristics of Starch granules (original) (raw)
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Identification of starch granules using a two-step identification method
Starch analysis has proven to be a powerful method applicable to recover microbotanical remains of starchy foods in archaeological contexts, and morphometric analysis is the most commonly used methodological approach for identifying starch granules. However, it is sometimes not easy to achieve a high level of accuracy in identification, if several coexisting taxa in an assemblage exhibit similar starch morphology. The current study attempts to use both traditional morphometric observation and also a computer-based discriminant analysis to create a multivariate model, in order to separate Job's tears (Coix lacryma-jobi) from foxtail millet (Setaria italica ssp. italica) and broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum) that show considerable overlapping in starch morphology and size. The two-step identification method generated in this study shows a greater power of discrimination for identifying these three taxa with high success rates. The model was then used for identification in ancient assemblages with satisfactory efficiency and accuracy. This method will be most useful for application to ancient starch assemblages recovered from sites where dry-land farming was a significant part of the subsistence strategy, such as in East Asian Neolithic and Bronze Ages.
Microscopic Analysis of Starch Grains and its Applications in the Archaeology of the Stone Age
Interdisciplinaria Archaeologica. Natural Sciences in Archaeology, 2018
Archaeobotanical micro-residuals are today a major focus in artefactual and bioarchaeological investigations. Though starch grains analysis may be regarded as marginal, it can be a useful analysis for archaeological research, being a method suitable for the investigation of stone artefacts and ceramic vessels. Soil samples and dental calculus can also be examined. Through the use of various extraction methods it is possible to answer questions of diet composition and purpose of stone tool use. As documented in recent studies examining the composition of the human diet, starch grain research should be one of the main areas of archaeobotanical investigation. Its applicability can be seen in studies where it is useful to define the role of plants in human subsistence. New evidence of plant use in archaeological contexts in the Stone Age, beginning in the Palaeolithic and ending in the Neolithic, has been presented in recent papers. Current archaeological studies, including those using starch grain analyses, have particularly indicated the higher ratio of plants in the diet during the Palaeolithic period.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2016
Starch granules have been found to be preserved in association with archaeological remains and their identification may provide direct botanical evidences of the plants used by ancient humans. However, subtle morphological differences between starch granules make their taxonomic identifications difficult. In order to improve the identification of these plant remains, we used an image analysis program that measures up to 123 different optical and morphological characters. With Random Forest tests we analyzed~5000 starch granules extracted from underground storage organs (USO), seeds, and fruits of 20 different East African edible plant species. Our results show that correct identification rates are up to 74% for some species (Echinochloa colona, Cyperus rodundus),~80% for some suprageneric taxa (Poaceae, Fabaceae), and 80% for underground storage organs. However, on average, success rates are just~53% for species (up to 70% with a dataset reduced to herbaceous species), 60% for families, and 72% for plant parts. Yet, this automated system is not perfect, but it is still more powerful than the human eye, for which the average success rate is just of 25% for species level identifications. We evaluated the performance of our system and found that accuracy rates of identifications of starch granules are highly sensitive to the number of groups (species) to identify (r 2 = 0.83) and, to a lesser extent to the number of characters used by the identification system (r 2 = 0.87). It is therefore crucial to narrow down as much as possible the number of target species, by analyzing additional proxies. We conclude that better results can be achieved if the candidate field is narrowed. If not, the automated identification of starch granules will remain unsatisfactory to provide acceptable interpretations in archaeological contexts.
Starch granules of yam stem tubers, plantain fruits and cassava root tubers were studied using the light microscope and then compared. Yam and plantain, both monocotyledons, had morphologically similar granules between locations, being mostly oval in shape while the granules of cassava, a dicot, were predominantly globular but varied between locations. Differences in processing methods between locations might be responsible for the observed variation in cassava granules. There is a suggestion that starch granule morphology might follow lineages in a broad sense. The unique micromorphology of cassava starch granule could make it easily detectable when adulterated, substituted or contaminated with yam or plantain granules and this could provide a cost effective clue in forensic determination.
Identification of Starch Forms in Edible Plants
BIOTIK: Jurnal Ilmiah Biologi Teknologi dan Kependidikan
This study aims to identify the forms of starch in edible plants. This research involved several edible plants such as sago, yam and taro. This type of research uses descriptive quantitative methods by conducting experiments on each sample used. The data collection technique was carried out by describing the results of the starch form from each sample that had been obtained. The results obtained from this study showed that the Sago preparations viewed under a microscope had an oval starch shape and spread throughout the preparation so that it was classified as an eccentric starch type that could be seen at 10X magnification, while Jicama starch preparations had a round starch shape and chains in some parts. The plane of the preparation and entered in the concentric type, but the shape of starch in Jicama can be seen under a microscope at 100X magnification, the Taro preparation has a round and lumpy shape but the starch accumulates in several areas of the preparation and enters the concentric type seen at 40X magnification. So it can be concluded that the forms of starch in edible plants are very diverse, both in round to oval shapes, with smooth and rough starch structures, namely in the form of lumps.
Starch Granule Analysis of Artifacts
The Viejo Period in West‐Central Chihuahua, Part 3: Additional Studies
2014 Zarrillo, Sonia and Monica Nicolaides. Starch Granule Analysis of Artifacts. In The Viejo Period in West‐Central Chihuahua, Part 3: Additional Studies, J. Holden Kelley and R. D. Garvin, pp. 49‐62. Maxwell Museum Technical Series No. 19, Part 3, Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.
Identification of starch granules using image analysis and multivariate techniques
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2004
The full potential of ancient starch analysis will not be fully realised until comprehensive identification keys have been established. To address this problem multivariate analysis of data recorded from digital images can be used to construct an automatic system of classification. As a first step we used digital image analysis to record 18 variables for 1998 starch granules representing 29 species which were mainly collected within one area of Papua New Guinea and largely used for food or craft production. High success rates for classifying these into their correct plant taxa were achieved by three different methods of discriminant analysis. The results confirm earlier studies that have shown that the morphology of many starch granules, especially those derived from storage organs, is distinctive to a specific plant taxon. We also demonstrate that multivariate analyses can play an important part in the establishment of starch granule classification keys.
Methods to isolate and quantify damaged and gelatinized starch grains
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2016
Damaged and gelatinized starch grains recovered from artifacts and sediments have the potential to provide valuable information about past food processing behaviors. Because these particles have different physical properties from native undamaged starches, it is unclear if the methods used to recover them from archeological contexts are effective. Here we present tests of several laboratory methods for isolating starches, with the hope of identifying the best method for quantifying total starch numbers and recovering gelatinized starches. Our results indicate that no methods can provide total recovery of starch grains, and that most methods strongly under-represent gelatinized starches.