| Abstract: | Various physico-chemical properties of starches isolated from 21 Australian wheat varieties were assessed. Molecular weights varied between the starches and were lower in those from soft wheats. Proportions of small granules were significantly correlated with starch amylose and protein contents; those of large granules correlated negatively with fat content. Granule crystallinity was correlated with hardness of the parent wheats. Gelatinisation temperatures, measured by differential scanning calorimetry, varied between the starches within the range of 46–79°C. Enthalpies of gelatinisation, 4.6–13.3 J/g of dry starch, were correlated with both amylopectin content and wheat hardness. Minimum moisture for gelatinisation, 0.15–0.56 wa-ter/g of dry starch, was significantly correlated with both amylose and fat contents of the starch. |
