Abstract

This work aimed to determine the effect of Pulsed Electric Fields (PEF) and Ultrasound (US) on yield recovery, and functional properties of clean-label starch from banana peels. Starch was extracted using PEF-assisted (PEF-AE) and US-assisted (US-AE) wet methods. The effects of these methods on extraction yield, starch purity, granule integrity, and functional properties were assessed. Results show that PEF-AE at 2.5 kV/cm and 100 Hz and US-AE at 200 W and 9 min improved extraction yield by 20.12 % and 30.50 %, respectively. PEF improved process selectivity achieving the highest total starch content (59.61 %) with a 73.58 % of efficiency, while conventional method achieved the lowest starch content (17.13 %). Enzymatic analysis confirmed that PEF and US induced minimal mechanical damage to the granules (<2 %), preserving starch integrity. PEF and US increased the apparent amylose content compared to control (18.98 %), reaching 21.03 % and 23.96 %, respectively. Recovery starch exhibited enhanced functionality, with higher solubility (23.6 %) and swelling power (24.59 g/g) in US-AE, while PEF-AE improved water absorption capacity (3.93 g/g) and oil absorption capacity (4.99 g/g). These findings demonstrate the potential of PEF-AE and US-AE to extract starch from by-products offering a sustainable source for clean-label food applications, including thickeners, fat replacers, or stabilizers. © © 2025. Published by Elsevier Ltd.