| Abstract: | Electron spin resonance (ESR) was used in order to study the mechanism of interaction of potato starch with lipids in systems with different water contents (40, 50 and 60% w/w) during heating and cooling. Different spin probes were used, on the one hand spin‐labelled stearic acids (5‐DSA and 16‐DSA), which limited lipids, and on the other hand the water‐soluble probe 4‐hydroxy‐2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine‐1‐oxyl (Tempol), which was sensitive to changes in the dynamic properties of the water phase associated with the temperature‐induced starch structural transformations. Whatever the water content in the hydration range considered, Tempol was observed to be relatively mobile in the presence of potato starch, whereas a strong absorption of spin‐labelled stearic acids on potato starch granules took place at room temperature for all investigated starch–water systems. Spin‐labelled stearic acids were expected to stick on the starch granules. The mobility of the spin‐labelled stearic acid was less upon cooling than upon heating as a result of starch gelation. The mobility of spin probes decreased with increasing starch concentration. Introduction of a doxyl fragment at position 16 of the hydrocarbon chain leads to a lower degree of immobilisation of the spin probe as compared with 5‐DSA. This result suggests that there is a stronger interaction of polar sites of stearic acid with starch granules. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry |
