| Abstract: | 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 Mw (weight‐average molar mass) and Rz (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. |
