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Morphometric characterization and analysis of starch granules from raw and fermented mesquite (neltuma glandulosa; strombocarpa pubescens)
Muncher, Riley
Muncher, Riley
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2025-05
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Starch analysis has become a popular avenue of identifying plant use in the past, but the method is less commonly used in North America, particularly in the U.S. Southwest. Starch analysis has the potential to elucidate questions about cooking processes and contribute microbotanical data to supplement the macrobotanical record in the region. Various species of mesquite are well represented in the macrobotanic record of the Southwest, but the plant has received little attention in terms of starch analysis in North America, despite its role as a staple resource throughout prehistory and into colonial periods. Here, starch grains from two mesquite species, Neltuma glandulosa and Strombocarpa pubescens, are characterized through recent standardized approaches to starch analysis. Damages to starch grains caused by fermenting mesquite are assessed. Results indicate that there is a difference in the size distribution between the two species, and a slight difference in hilum position, though more data is needed to confirm this. Of importance is the difference between mesquite and Zea mays, which have significantly different size distributions, but share similarities in other morphological features. Fermenting mesquite causes unique damage to the starch grains that is not seen in fermentation experiments on other taxa, including minor to moderate swelling, and significant damage at the margins. Identifying mesquite starch can help better determine its geographic range in the past, and damaged mesquite starch paired with contextual evidence could provide evidence for the production of mesquite beer, aiding in the understanding of the temporal and geographic range of fermentation in the region.
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Thesis (M.A.)-- Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Anthropology
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Wichita State University
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© Copyright 2025 by Riley Jay Muncher
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