Comparison of Endosperm Starch Granule Development and Physicochemical Properties of Starches from Waxy and Non-Waxy Wheat

Starch granule development and physicochemical properties of starches in waxy wheat and non-waxy wheat were investigated in this article. Starch granules in waxy wheat endosperm showed an early developmental process. Compared with non-waxy wheat starch granules (round-shaped), waxy wheat starch granules (ellipse-shaped) were larger and contained more B-type granules. According to the granule size, starch granules were divided into two groups in waxy wheat, but were divided into three groups in non-waxy wheat. Compared with non-waxy wheat starch, waxy wheat starch had higher swelling power, gelatinization temperatures (To, Tp, Tc), and relative degree of crystallinity. They showed similar ordered structures on external regions of starch granules. Additionally, waxy wheat starch had a higher proportion of double-helical components and a lower proportion of single-helical components than non-waxy wheat starch. Based on the previous results, it was concluded: (1) waxy wheat and non-waxy wheat not only differed in starch granule development, but also in physicochemical properties of starches; (2) waxy wheat had more potential value for producing traditional products than non-waxy wheat.     

Swelling Characteristics of Native and Chemically Modified Wheat Starches as a Function of Heating Temperature and Time

The effects of hydroxypropylation (molar substitution, MS 0.05, 0.12, and 0.18) and cross‐linking (0.03%, 0.1%, and 0.2%) on swelling properties of wheat starch granules at several temperatures and heating times were investigated by laser diffraction particle size analysis. Starch samples were dispersed in water at temperatures ranging from 30 to 90°C, for 1 to 360 min. All starch granules exhibited distinct bimodal size distributions: small B‐granules with mean diameter of 2.3 μm and large A‐granules with mean diameter of 20.4 μm. As temperature increased, the B‐granules swelled more than A‐granules. Swelling of A‐granules sharply increased at 60°C. Swelling was more pronounced with increasing molar substitution of hydroxypropyl groups, while increased swelling was not observed in cross‐linked starches. The dependence of swelling capacity on heating time was different at 60 and 80°C as well as amongst modified starches. As heating time was prolonged, mean granule sizes for native, control, and hydroxypropylated starches at 80°C decreased after reaching maximum size due to loss of granule integrity, while those at 60°C showed no significant change.     

Structure-viscosity relationships for starches from different rice varieties during heating

The effects of starch particle size and leached amylose on the viscosity of rice starch dispersions and changes of short-range structure and amylose content in starch granules of different rice varieties during heating were investigated. It was found that starch granule swelling increased rice starch dispersion viscosity during heating. The viscosities of the starch dispersions during heating were principally dependent on granular volume fraction and independent of starch variety. A distinct correlation between the amount of leached amylose and swelling of starch granules was also found. High initial amylose concentrations in starch granules reduced swelling during heating, thereby reducing rice dispersion viscosities. Fourier-transform IR spectroscopy indicated that the loss of short-range order was significant when the temperature reached the pasting onset temperature. The short-range order of waxy and medium grain rice starches was higher than that of long grain rice starches before gelatinization. The loss of order of waxy and medium grain rice starches was greater than that of long grain rice starches during heating, which was due to the presence of amylose, restraining the swelling and disruption of starch granules during heating.     

Chemical Composition and Structure of Granule Periphery and Envelope Remnant of Rice Starches as Revealed by Chemical Surface Gelatinization

In this work the contribution of molecular structures to the swelling behavior of rice starches was investigated. Rice starches with different amylose contents (0 ‐ 23.4 %) were gelatinized to various degrees (approximately 10, 20, and 50 %) with 13 M aqueous LiCl, and the surface‐gelatinized starch and ungelatinized remaining granules were separated and characterized. The native starches were heated at 85 or 95°C for 30 min in excess water, and the granule envelope remnants were recovered by centrifugation for further characterization. The remaining granules after surface removal exhibited a lower gelatinization temperature and enthalpy, and swelled to a greater extent upon heating than the native counterpart. The amylopectin molecules in granule envelope remnants obtained at 95°C had larger M_w (weight‐average molar mass) and R_z (z‐average gyration radius) than those in remnants obtained at 85°C. The chemical composition and structure of granule envelope remnants obtained at 85°C were different from those obtained at 95°C for the same rice starch cultivar. The results imply that starch periphery may not be responsible for maintaining starch granule integrity during gelatinization and swelling. It is proposed that the composition and structure of the granule envelope remnant that maintains granule integrity are not constant but dynamic. The formation of a semi‐permeable membrane‐like surface structure during gelatinization and swelling is proposed to be a result of molecule entanglement after gelatinization.     

Changes in wheat and potato starches induced by gamma irradiation: A comparative macro and microscopic study

Wheat and potato starches were treated by gamma irradiation (0, 3, 5, 10, 20, 35, and 50 kGy). Apparent amylose content, gelatinization maximum consistency, swelling power, viscosity, and textural parameters decreased in potato and wheat starch pastes as irradiation dose increased. Nevertheless, the decrease of apparent amylose content and swelling power was greater in potato starch than in wheat one. High gamma irradiation doses made potato starch granules more sensitive to shear. On the other hand, no modification in the granule shape was observed by scanning electron microscopy. However, through heat-treatment, starch granules destroyed as irradiation dose increased. Consequently, the effect of irradiation on granular structure appeared to be greater in potato starch than in wheat starch.     

Influence of α‐amylolysis on the formation of electron density inhomogeneities on the surface of starch granules

Low‐temperature nitrogen adsorption and SAXS were used to analyze the granule surface of wheat and rice starches before and after an action of Bacillus subtilis α‐amylase. Results obtained by the first method showed that α‐amylolysis caused surface changes arising of new pores or enlarging diameters of pores already existing. According to the SAXS results, the action of enzymes caused complete sharpening of a solid skeletal boundary in the case of wheat starch granules. Partial sharpening of this boundary in the case of rice starch granules could be attributed to the relatively high content of proteins in rice starch.     

脂类和颗粒结合蛋白对小麦A、B淀粉理化性质的影响

淀粉颗粒中的脂类和颗粒结合蛋白对其理化和结构性质存在一定影响,研究了小麦A、B淀粉经脱脂、脱蛋白处理后其化学组成、颗粒形态、糊特性等性质。结果表明:脱脂处理对小麦A、B淀粉的晶体类型、溶解度、膨胀度、起始温度、峰值温度、终值温度、热焓值、峰值黏度、谷黏度、衰减值、最终黏度、峰值时间、成糊温度均无显著性影响,相对结晶度降低。脱蛋白处理使小麦淀粉溶解度和膨胀度随温度的增长趋势显著增加,相对结晶度、起始温度、峰值温度、终值温度、峰值黏度、衰减值、回生值显著增大,谷黏度和峰值时间显著降低,对晶体类型、热焓值无显著影响。脱蛋白处理对小麦A、B淀粉理化性质的影响显著高于脱脂处理。     

不同物理方法处理对碎米中淀粉特性的影响

采用挤压、微波、超声波三种物理方法对水分含量18%的碎米淀粉进行处理,研究分析碎米淀粉经物理方法处理前后的理化性质和结构变化。结果表明,碎米淀粉经微波和超声处理后酶解力增加,糊化黏度下降,而溶解度、膨胀力、糊化温度和直链淀粉含量变化不显著;两种淀粉颗粒表面棱角减少,淀粉颗粒晶型基本没有发生变化,淀粉结晶区降低。挤压后的碎米淀粉变化较大,颗粒形状为片状,凝沉性强,1.0 h后体积仅为3 mL,糊化温度明显降低至55.0 ℃,直链淀粉含量增长为30.75%,溶解度强,为0.59%,酶解力达到45%,X-射线主要衍射峰的强度降低。     

Study of Starch Granules Swelling by the Blue Dextran Method and by Microscopy

The evolution of corn and wheat starch granules swelling at different temperatures was determined by two techniques: the blue dextran method (which measures the swelling factor) and by optical (light) microscopy. The graphical results obtained using the blue dextran technique showed curves indicating the swelling of corn and wheat starch dispersions (at 64%, w/w, moisture content) characterized by an initial phase of slight swelling, a second phase of fast swelling and a final phase of maximum swelling. The concentrated solutions (42% and 47%, w/w, moisture content) showed a slight swelling with the increase in temperature. The effect of temperature on the shape of the granules was evaluated by the optical microscopy. The shape of the type A wheat starch granules was deformed at high temperatures. The corn and type B wheat granules had a spherical form. In the case of corn starch, a good correlation (r²= 0.929) was obtained between the results of optical microscopy and blue dextran techniques.     

Granule Sizes of Canna (Canna edulis) Starches and their Reactivity Toward Hydration,Enzyme Hydrolysis and Chemical Substitution

Small and large granule fractions were isolated from canna starch (Canna edulis, green leaf cultivar), and their morphology, physicochemical properties, susceptibility towards granular starch hydrolyzing enzymes and chemical reaction with propylene oxide were investigated. Canna starch consisted of a mixed population of large, medium and small granules; the mean of granule diameter was 47.4 μm. The small granules presented round and polygonal shapes, whereas the large granules had oval and elliptical shapes. Significant variations in digestibility of the various granules size by granular starch hydrolyzing enzymes were observed. During the first 24 h, the hydrolysis rate of small granules was higher than that of native and large granule starches. After 72 h, however, the degree of hydrolysis of small granule, large granule and native starches had reached the extent of 19.6%, 32.0% and 27.2%, respectively. The larger the granule size, the higher the MS obtained when modified with propylene oxide, which was due to the higher swelling power of the large granules. The results obtained from this study suggest that small granules had lower water and chemical affinity when compared with the bigger ones. The difference in the reactivity of small and large granules could be presumably attributed to the starch components (amylose and amylopectin) and their organization of glucan chains in ordered and/or less ordered structure of these two fractions.     

THE EFFECT OF ANNEALING ON THE PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF WHEAT, OAT, POTATO AND LENTIL STARCHES

Native wheat, oat, potato and lentil starches were annealed at various starch/water ratios at 50C for time intervals ranging from 0.5 to 72 h. Annealing did not change granule size and shape. Oat starch granules were less compactly packed after annealing. X-ray diffraction patterns remained unchanged and X-ray intensities changed only marginally in all starches. The swelling factor (SF), amylose leaching (AML) and the gelatinization temperature range (GTR) decreased on annealing. The extent of decrease in SF and AML followed the order: lentil > wheat > potato > oat, while the corresponding order for GTR was: wheat > lentil > oat > potato. The gelatinization transition temperatures (GTT) and enthalpy (ΔH) increased on annealing. However, the increases in GTT and ΔH did not begin concurrently during the time course of annealing. Increases in ΔH were slower and were evident only after 1, 2, 6 and 48 h, respectively, in lentil, potato, oat and wheat starches. The extent and rate of increase in GTT and ΔH followed the order: potato > lentil > wheat > oat. The magnitude of changes in GTT and ΔH increased with increase in annealing moisture content. The susceptibility of oat starch to enzyme and acid hydrolysis increased on annealing. However, decreases occurred in the other starches (lentil > wheat > potato). Thermal and shear stability of starch granules increased on annealing (potato > lentil > wheat > oat). The results showed that the above changes in physicochemical properties were due to increased interaction between starch components during annealing.     

Pea Starch Annealing: New Insights

Three different pea starches were annealed in excess water at 45 °C for 24 and 72 h, and the changes in their structure and functionality were determined. Annealing resulted in slightly irreversible swelling with leaching of some amylose molecules, which was accompanied by small changes in granular morphology and relative crystallinity, but significant changes in functionality such as decreased swelling power and starch solubility and increased thermal transition temperatures, enthalpy changes, pasting viscosities and in vitro digestibility. Annealing led to an increase in proportion of B-type polymorphs within C-type pea starches, which was explained as being due to a polymorphic transition from A to B. Annealing mainly acts on the amorphous regions of starch granules, leading to amylose leaching. The removal of amylose molecules can reduce the long-range forces within the granule and thereby weakening the overall granule structure and leading to significant changes to functional properties. This study showed that annealing is a mild but important physical modification of starch, which can be used as a pretreatment technique to tailor the starch functionality for specific industrial application.     

Physicochemical and Morphological Characteristics of Nixtamalized Maize Starch

The effect of nixtamalization on physicochemical and morphological characteristics of starch was studied. Determination of total starch, ash and amylose content, of swelling and solubility, gelatinization characteristics and morphological studies were carried out in starch isolated from native (S) and nixtamalized (NS) maize flours. Thermal analysis showed that nixtamalization produced starch annealing due to the higher gelatinization temperature obtained for NS. However, S had slightly lower enthalpy values. The swelling profile was similar for both starches, but the solubility values at the temperatures assessed were slightly higher in the NS samples. At temperatures below gelatinization, the granules showed the Maltese cross while at higher temperatures only ghost of granules were observed. The nixtamalized starch had larger granule sizes than the native starch, due to the partial swelling produced in the heating during the nixtamalization process. Larger granule sizes were also observed by image analysis, because major axis and area parameters were higher in NS samples than in S samples. The nixtamalization process produced changes in chemical, thermal and morphological characteristics, becoming important in products obtained from nixtamalized maize.     

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF STARCHES AND EXPANSION OF FISH CRACKER 'KEROPOK'

The influence of physicochemical properties of starches on expansion of‘keropok’was studied. Swelling power, solubility, and amylose leaching of a starch were dependent on the lipid and protein contents of the starch. The morphology of different starch granules used in‘keropok’gel was observed using scanning electron microscopy. The sizes of swollen starch granules in the gel were quantitatively measured by image analysis. The average length and width of swollen gelatinized sago and tapioca starch granules were significantly higher than that of wheat starch, and consequently, the linear expansion of‘keropok’with wheat starch was lower than those of‘keropok’made with tapioca or sago starches. Linear expansion was positively correlated to swelling power and solubility of the starch. Textural properties of‘keropok’gels with different starches were also measured and found to have correlation with linear expansion of the final products.     

三氯氧磷交联木薯淀粉颗粒膨胀历程及溶胀机理研究

利用木薯淀粉与三氯氧磷的交联反应,通过控制交联反应程度,成功地控制了交联淀粉颗粒的膨胀并使其停留在不同的溶胀阶段,详细地研究了处在不同溶胀阶段的三氯氧磷交联木薯淀粉颗粒的结构特征和变化趋势,揭示了三氯氧磷交联木薯淀粉颗粒的具体的膨胀历程及溶胀机理,即木薯淀粉是“花蕾绽放式”膨胀历程。     

Effects of Granule Sizes on Physicochemical Properties of Cross‐linked and Acetylated Wheat Starches

Large and small wheat starch granules were used for cross‐linking and acetylation to determine effects of granule sizes on physicochemical properties of the modified starches. The native and cross‐linked starches from the small granules showed higher phosphorus contents than did those from the large granules. However, the level of phosphate substituents in the modified starches was not significantly different between the large and small granules under the same conditions. In contrast, the large granules had a higher reactivity with acetic anhydride than did the small granules. The phosphate group cross‐linked starch (CS), acetylated starch (AS) and acetylated cross‐linked starch (ACS) from the large granules had lower gelatinization temperatures and higher enthalpies than those from the small granules. The paste viscosities of the CSs from the large granules decreased rapidly, whereas those of the AS or ACS increased significantly as compared with those from the small granules. The pastes of cross‐linked starches from the small granules were more stable than those from the large granules, whereas the pastes of AS and ACS from the large and small granules had similar resistance to freeze‐thaw treatment. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) also showed that the small granules were less damaged after modification than the large ones. Thus, the different granule sizes resulted in different physicochemical properties of starch after modification.     

颗粒态绿豆抗性淀粉的制备及性质研究

以绿豆淀粉为原料,采用湿热处理制备颗粒态抗性淀粉,并研究其颗粒形貌、直链淀粉含量、溶胀度、黏度及结晶性质等。试验表明:淀粉经过湿热处理后,抗性淀粉含量显著提高;湿热处理淀粉仍保持完整的颗粒外观,属于颗粒态抗性淀粉,部分淀粉颗粒表面出现了裂纹和凹坑,偏光十字强度有所减弱;湿热处理淀粉的直链淀粉含量明显增加,而溶解度、膨胀度和峰值黏度下降,淀粉糊化变得困难;X-射线衍射图谱表明原淀粉和湿热处理淀粉都为"A"型结晶,且湿热处理淀粉在15.2°、17.4°、22.9°左右的衍射峰强度有所加强。     

Italian buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) starch: Physico-chemical and functional characterization and in vitro digestibility

A study on the physico-chemical properties and structure together with the evaluation of starch digestibility was carried out on starch isolated from buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) cultivated in different Italian areas. Results showed that buckwheat samples analysed were different among them and from wheat starch used as reference. Buckwheat granules were polygonal in shape and had a smaller diameter than the wheat starch granule. The starch obtained from buckwheat had a higher swelling power than the wheat one, probably as a consequence of the wheaker but more extensive bonding forces in the granule. During cooling, buckwheat samples showed a good paste stability.     

Effect of Acetylation on Some Properties of Corn and Potato Starches

Corn starch and starches separated from different potato cultivars were acetylated to evaluate the effect of plant source on the physicochemical, morphological, thermal, rheological, textural and retrogradation properties of the starches. Corn starch showed a lower degree of acetylation than potato starches under similar experimental conditions. The degree of acetylation for different potato starches also differed significantly. Morphological examination revealed that the granules of acetylated Kufri Chandermukhi and Kufri Sindhuri starches tended to appear as fused and less smooth than native starch granules. Acetylation of corn and potato starches decreased the transition temperatures and enthalpy of gelatinization and increased swelling power and light transmittance. However, the change in these was greater in the potato starches with higher percentage of small sized granules. Acetylated starches showed higher peak G', G'' and lower tan δ than their counterpart native starches during heating. Among the starches from different cultivars, the change in the rheological parameters after acetylation differed to a significant extent. The retrogradation was observed to be negligible in the acetylated cooked starch pastes. Results implied that the change in functional properties of starches with acetylation depends on source and granule morphology of native starch.     

Morphology of modified starches prepared by different methods

Morphologies of modified starches prepared using different methods were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). These SEM micrographs provide the following results. To begin with, starch granules underwent a series of changes which resulted in the morphology of modified starch quite different from the native starch with different the methods during the process of modification. For example, hollows emerge on the granules of maltodextrin with low value of dextrose equivalent (DE) prepared by means of spray-drying, but they fell to pieces with the increasing value of DE. The granules of pregelatinized starches manufactured with extrusion technology also showed irregular stone shapes and holes within them while those produced by means of drum-drying presented irregular laminar structure. Furthermore, the granules of granulated cold water soluble (GCWS) starch obtained from alcoholic-alkaline treatment had indented appearance and larger volume than those of the original native granules. The conclusion can be safely drawn that the granule structure of slight modified starches did not change but the surface of the granule was porous.