| Abstract: | The formation and structural characteristics of slowly digestible non‐pasted granular starch in sweet potato starch were investigated under various hydrothermal treatment conditions. The moisture content of the sweet potato starch was adjusted to 20, 50 or 90%, and the starch was heated at 40, 55 or 100°C for 12 h in a dry oven. The relative crystallinity of the hydrothermally treated samples was decreased with increasing temperature, and the X‐ray diffraction patterns of the samples were altered from Cb‐type to A‐type. Microscopic observations did not reveal any changes in the starch granules of any samples except those with moisture contents of 50 and 90% that were heated at 100°C. When gelatinization parameters were examined, samples with moisture contents of 50 and 90% that were heated at 55°C and samples of all moisture contents that were heated at 100°C had peak temperatures higher than that of raw starch but gelatinization enthalpies lower than that of raw starch. The swelling factor of the samples heated at 40°C did not change significantly, whereas that of samples heated at 55 and 100°C was decreased at increased moisture levels. The sweet potato starch with 50% moisture content that was heated at 55°C had the highest content of granular slowly digestible starch, about 200% that of raw starch, although our study did not involve further hydrothermal treatment conditions. Further study is required to complete a process for more efficient production of heat stable and slowly digestible starch. |
