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.