GEORGE TOWN: Sago starch, which is commonly found in the stem of palm trees, can be a good alternative carbohydrate for diabetic patients.
According to Prof Dr Abd Karim Alias of University Sains Malaysia (USM)’s School of Industrial Technology (Food Technology) its component could naturally dissolve and broken down to glucose slower than commonly used starch.
“The production of sago starch can only be found in a few areas in tropical Asia such as Papua New Guinea’s virgin jungle and The Philippines. If the production of sago starch becomes more known and effective, or the quantity of it has reached to a certain level, it may be able to compete with the global market in the future,” he said in a special lecture at USM here yesterday.
At present, he said, the production of sago starch was less than one per cent in the international market, compared to corn starch which takes a major portion of 73 per cent worldwide. — Bernama