| Abstract: | The influence of heating rate on the gelatinization of wheat starch and starch/water ratio on the gelatinization of wheat, maize, waxy maize and amylomaize starches was examined. More rapid heating resulted in a lowering of the onset temperature of gelatinization for wheat starch from 52 °C at 8°C/min to 46 °C at 32 °C/min. A linear relationship was observed between moisture content and gelatinization energy for starch/water ratios between 1 :2 and 2:1. This allowed calculation of the minimum level of water necessary to initiate gelatinization of each starch. These levels were in excess of the water binding capacity for each starch and were 0.45, 0.45, 0.47 and 0.52 g water/g of wheat, maize, waxy maize and amylomaize starches respectively. |
