Influence of acyl chain lengths in mono- and diacyl-sn-glycerophosphatidylcholine on gelatinization and retrogradation of starch

The influence of starch with 1- or 2-monoacyl-sn-glycerophosphatidylcholine (GPC) having various chain lengths of fatty acids on gelatinization and retrogradation of starch was studied by the measurement of starch-GPC complex formation, complexing index, and differential scanning calorimetry. The addition of GPC to the starch sample slightly increased the blue value and lambda(max) with increasing chain length of GPC but decreased the phosphorus content and complexing index. The gelatinization onset and peak temperatures of starch complexes increased significantly with increasing chain length, but the enthalpies were statistically lower, except for the treatment with 1,2-distearoyl-sn-GPC when compared with that of the control. Among GPC (di and mono), 1- and 2-monomyristoyl-sn-GPC showed the highest complexing ability, whereas the complexing ability of the GPC decreased with the increasing chain length. According to the Avrami equation, the retrogradation rate (k, day(-1)) of starch was slower than that of the control, whereas the retrogradation rates of 1- and 2-monomyristoyl-sn-GPC were slowest among the GPCs. The positive linear relationship between k and the number of acyl groups of GPC suggests that a GPC with a shorter chain length could retard the retrogradation of starch during storage.     

Slowly digestible state of starch: mechanism of slow digestion property of gelatinized maize starch

The mechanism underlying the previously reported parabolic relationship between amylopectin fine structure, represented by the weight ratio of linear short chains [degree of polymerization (DP < 13) to long chains (DP >/= 13], and slowly digestible starch (SDS) content was investigated from the viewpoint of starch retrogradation and substrate susceptibility to enzyme hydrolysis. A maize mutant sample, termed "highest long-chain starch" (HLCS) representing group I samples with a higher proportion of long chains, showed a bell-shaped SDS pattern with retrogradation time, whereas insignificant changes in SDS were found for the sample termed "highest short-chain starch" (HSCS) representing group II samples with a higher proportion of short chains. This corresponded to results from X-ray powder diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry that showed a rapid increase of crystallinity and enthalpy for HLCS during retrogradation, but negligible changes for sample HSCS. Therefore, retrogradation was associated with SDS content for group I samples, but not for group II samples. Analysis of amylopectin fine structure, SDS content, retrogradation enthalpy, SDS material debranching profile, and hydrolysis pattern demonstrated, for group I samples, that linear branched chains of DP 9-30 of amylopectin may act as anchor points to slow the digestion of branced-chain fractions of DP > 30, which constitute the major slowly digestible portion, whereas for group II samples, it is the inherent molecular structure of amylopectin with a higher amount of branches and shorter chains that is not favorable for rapid enzyme digestion. The concept of a slowly digestible starch state (SDS state) that could be a chemical or physical entity is proposed to better describe the mechanistic underpinning of the slow digestion property of starches.     

Differences in Starch Granule Composition and Structure Influence In Vitro Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Grain Meal and Extracted Starch in Two Classes of Canadian Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Starch granule composition and amylopectin structure affect starch digestibility, an important factor influencing wheat grain utilization for human food consumption. Six bread wheat cultivars with four belonging to the Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) and two Canada Prairie Spring Red (CPSR) market classes were analyzed for the relationship between their grain constituents and in vitro enzymatic hydrolysis of starch. CPSR cultivars had higher starch and amylose concentrations compared with CWRS cultivars, which had a higher protein concentration. Starch granule size distribution did not differ among the genotypes, except AC Foremost, which had significantly (P < 0.05) higher volume percent of B‐type starch granules (≈15%) and lower volume percent of A‐type starch granules (≈9%) compared with other cultivars. Fluorophore‐assisted capillary electrophoresis revealed a lower content of R‐IV (DP 15–18, ≈6%) and a higher content of R‐VII (DP 37–45, ≈7%) chains in the CPSR cultivars compared with the CWRS cultivars. Starch in vitro enzymatic hydrolysis showed that compared with CWRS cultivars, the two CPSR cultivars had reduced amounts of readily digestible starch and higher amounts of slowly digestible starch and resistant starch. Consequently, the two CPSR cultivars also showed lower hydrolysis indexes in grain meal as well as extracted starch. CPSR cultivars, with higher starch and amylose concentrations, as well as a higher content of long chains of amylopectin, showed a reduced starch in vitro enzymatic hydrolysis rate.     

Effect of illumination with the visible polarized and nonpolarized light on alpha-amylolysis of starches of different botanical origin

The alpha-amylolysis of potato, corn, waxy corn, and amaranthus starches with porcine pancreatic alpha-amylase upon illumination with visible polarized and nonpolarized light was studied. Samples were illuminated for 1 h either directly after blending the enzyme with starch or the enzyme solutions were illuminated for 1 h prior to the admixture of starch. Independently of the mode of illumination, no significant change in the hydrolysis kinetics was noted for corn, waxy corn, and amaranthus starches. The illumination of potato starch in the presence of alpha-amylase with polarized and nonpolarized light significantly accelerated the hydrolysis. In the first 5-h step the hydrolysis rate increased from 12.0 to 60.0 g x kg(-)(1) h(-)(1). Preillumination of enzyme in solution resulted in an increase in the rate of hydrolysis to 151.6 and 131.4 g x kg(-)(1) h(-)(1) after illumination with polarized and nonpolarized light, respectively. Circular dichroism spectra of alpha-amylase solutions stored in the dark and illuminated with visible polarized and nonpolarized light provided evaluation of the protein conformation, whereas exposure of enzyme solutions to the nonpolarized did not change the secondary structure of the protein. The illumination of the alpha-amylase solutions with polarized light significantly changed the amounts of alpha-helix and beta-form vs unilluminated samples: 42.3% and 25.5% vs 36.6% and 30.2%, respectively.     

Enzymatic synthesis and properties of highly branched rice starch amylose and amylopectin cluster

We enzymatically modified rice starch to produce highly branched amylopectin and amylose and analyzed the resulting structural changes. To prepare the highly branched amylopectin cluster (HBAPC), we first treated waxy rice starch with Thermus scotoductus alpha-glucanotransferase (TSalphaGT), followed by treatment with Bacillus stearothermophilus maltogenic amylase (BSMA). Highly branched amylose (HBA) was prepared by incubating amylose with Bacillus subtilis 168 branching enzyme (BBE) and subsequently treating it with BSMA. The molecular weight of TSalphaGT-treated waxy rice starch was reduced from 8.9 x 10(8) to 1.2 x 10(5) Da, indicating that the alpha-1,4 glucosidic linkage of the segment between amylopectin clusters was hydrolyzed. Analysis of the amylopectin cluster side chains revealed that a rearrangement in the side-chain length distribution occurred. Furthermore, HBAPC and HBA were found to contain significant numbers of branched maltooligosaccharide side chains. In short, amylopectin molecules of waxy rice starch were hydrolyzed into amylopectin clusters by TSalphaGT in the enzymatic modification process, and then further branched by transglycosylation using BSMA. HBAPC and HBA showed higher water solubility and stability against retrogradation than amylopectin clusters or branched amylose. The hydrolysis rates of HBAPC and HBA by glucoamylase and alpha-amylase greatly decreased. The k cat/ K m value of glucoamylase acting on the amylopectin cluster was 45.94 s(-1)(mg/mL)(-1) and that for glucoamylase acting on HBAPC was 11.10 s(-1)(mg/mL)(-1), indicating that HBAPC was 4-fold less susceptible to glucoamylase. The k cat/ K m value for HBA was 15.90 s(-1)(mg/mL)(-1), or about three times less than that for branched amylose. The k cat/ K m values of porcine pancreatic alpha-amylase for HBAPC and HBA were 496 and 588 s(-1)(mg/mL)(-1), respectively, indicating that HBA and HBAPC are less susceptible to hydrolysis by glucoamylase and alpha-amylase. HBAPC and HBA show potential as novel glucan polymers with low digestibility and high water solubility.     

Barley grain constituents, starch composition, and structure affect starch in vitro enzymatic hydrolysis

The relationship between starch physical properties and enzymatic hydrolysis was determined using ten different hulless barley genotypes with variable carbohydrate composition. The ten barley genotypes included one normal starch (CDC McGwire), three increased amylose starches (SH99250, SH99073, and SB94893), and six waxy starches (CDC Alamo, CDC Fibar, CDC Candle, Waxy Betzes, CDC Rattan, and SB94912). Total starch concentration positively influenced thousand grain weight (TGW) (r(2) = 0.70, p < 0.05). Increase in grain protein concentration was not only related to total starch concentration (r(2) = -0.80, p < 0.01) but also affected enzymatic hydrolysis of pure starch (r(2) = -0.67, p < 0.01). However, an increase in amylopectin unit chain length between DP 12-18 (F-II) was detrimental to starch concentration (r(2) = 0.46, p < 0.01). Amylose concentration influenced granule size distribution with increased amylose genotypes showing highly reduced volume percentage of very small C-granules (<5 μm diameter) and significantly increased (r(2) = 0.83, p < 0.01) medium sized B granules (5-15 μm diameter). Amylose affected smaller (F-I) and larger (F-III) amylopectin chains in opposite ways. Increased amylose concentration positively influenced the F-III (DP 19-36) fraction of longer DP amylopectin chains (DP 19-36) which was associated with resistant starch (RS) in meal and pure starch samples. The rate of starch hydrolysis was high in pure starch samples as compared to meal samples. Enzymatic hydrolysis rate both in meal and pure starch samples followed the order waxy > normal > increased amylose. Rapidly digestible starch (RDS) increased with a decrease in amylose concentration. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis revealed a higher polydispersity index of amylose in CDC McGwire and increased amylose genotypes which could contribute to their reduced enzymatic hydrolysis, compared to waxy starch genotypes. Increased β-glucan and dietary fiber concentration also reduced the enzymatic hydrolysis of meal samples. An average linkage cluster analysis dendrogram revealed that variation in amylose concentration significantly (p < 0.01) influenced resistant starch concentration in meal and pure starch samples. RS is also associated with B-type granules (5-15 μm) and the amylopectin F-III (19-36 DP) fraction. In conclusion, the results suggest that barley genotype SH99250 with less decrease in grain weight in comparison to that of other increased amylose genotypes (SH99073 and SH94893) could be a promising genotype to develop cultivars with increased amylose grain starch without compromising grain weight and yield.     

Nutritional property of endosperm starches from maize mutants: a parabolic relationship between slowly digestible starch and amylopectin fine structure

The relationship between the slow digestion property of cooked maize starch and its molecular fine structure was investigated. Results of the in vitro Englyst assay showed a range of rapidly digestible starch (RDS) (70.1-98.9%), slowly digestible starch (SDS) (0.2-20.3%), and resistant starch (RS) (0.0-13.7%) among the tested maize mutant flour samples. Further analysis showed that amylose content was significantly correlated ( R = 0.763, P < 0.001) with RS amount but not with that of SDS, indicating that amylopectin is the starch molecule associated with SDS. Total starch debranching analysis revealed a parabolic relationship between SDS content and the weight ratio of amylopectin short chains (DP < 13, named SF) to long chains (DP >/= 13, named LF), which means amylopectin with a higher amount of either short chains or long chains can produce relatively high amounts of SDS. Furthermore, debranching analysis of the SDS materials from samples with the highest and lowest weight ratios of SF/LF (both had a high amount SDS) showed significantly different profiles, indicating there is not a uniform molecular structure for SDS. Thus, genetic mutants of maize samples have a good potential to provide raw starch materials of high nutritional quality. An additional finding showed that a simple and comparably high-throughput technique of Rapid Visco-Analyzer (RVA) can be used to screen genetic mutants on the basis of their RVA profiles.     

Starch characterization and ethanol production of sorghum

This study aimed to characterize and compare the chemical structures, physical properties, and enzymatic hydrolysis rates of five sorghum starches (6B73, 6C21, 6C69, 7R34, and X789) with that of corn starch (B73). Sorghum kernels consisted of 68.7-70.6% starch, more than the B73 corn (67.4%). Sorghum starches displayed higher gelatinization temperatures (66.6-67.4 °C), greater gelatinization enthalpy changes (13.0-14.0 J/g), and greater percentages of retrogradation (60.7-69.1%), but slower enzymatic hydrolysis rates (83.8-87.8% at 48 h) than the B73 corn starch (61.7 °C, 10.1 J/g, 51.5%, and 88.5%, respectively). These differences could result from the sorghum amylopectins consisting of fewer short branch chains (DP 6-12) (12.8-14.0%) than the corn amylopectin (15.0%). The sorghum starches showed greater peak and breakdown viscosities but lower setback viscosities than the B73 corn starch, resulting from the lower amylose content of the sorghum starches. After 96 h of fermentation, most ground sorghums exhibited lower ethanol yields (30.5-31.8%) than the ground B73 corn (31.8%).     

Methods for Characterization of Residual Starch in Distiller's Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS)

The objective of this study was to establish methods for determining the content and components of residual starch in distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS), a coproduct from dry‐grind corn ethanol production. Four DDGS prepared in our laboratory and one DDGS obtained from a commercial ethanol manufacturer were used for the study. Quantitative analysis of total residual sugar (TRS) in DDGS was performed by determining d ‐glucose produced by enzymatic hydrolysis of oligosaccharides and residual starch remaining in hexane‐defatted DDGS after being dispersed in 90% DMSO. The TRS consisted of free glucose, oligosaccharides, and residual starch. The commercial manufacturer's DDGS contained more TRS (15.8%, w/w db) than the laboratory‐processed DDGS (2.4–2.9%, w/w db). The content of residual starch remaining in the commercial DDGS (5.5% w/w db) was also larger than the laboratory‐processed DDGS (1.9–2.5% w/w db). Analyses of molecular weight distribution showed that the residual starch in DDGS consisted of short‐chain amylose and amylopectin, respectively, as the major and minor components. The short‐chain amylose molecules constituted 86.5–94.1% of the residual starch. The major population of the short‐chain amyloses had an average degree of polymerization (DP) of 85, closely resembling the length of enzyme‐resistant fragments of amylose‐lipid complexes.     

Resistant Starch Escaped from Ethanol Production: Evidence from Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy of Distiller's Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS)

The origin of resistant starch (RS) in distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS) of triticale, wheat, barley, and corn from dry‐grind ethanol production was studied. A considerable portion of starch (up to 18% in DDGS) escaped from either granular starch hydrolysis or conventional jet‐cooking and fermentation processes. Confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed that some starch granules were still encapsulated in cells of grain kernel or embedded in protein matrix after milling and were thus physically inaccessible to amylases (type RS1). The crystalline structures of native starch granules were not completely degraded by amylases, retaining the skeletal structures in residual starch during granular starch hydrolysis or leaving residue granules and fragments with layered structures after jet‐cooking followed by the liquefaction and saccharification process, indicating the presence of RS2. Moreover, retrograded starch molecules (mainly amylose) as RS3, complexes of starch with other nonfermentable components as RS4, and starch–lipid complexes as RS5 were also present in DDGS. In general, the RS that escaped from the granular starch hydrolysis process was mainly RS1 and RS2, whereas that from the jet‐cooking process contained all types of RS (RS1 to RS5). Thus, the starch conversion efficiency and ethanol yield could be potentially affected by the presence of various RS in DDGS.     

Comparison of Physicochemical Properties and Structures of Sugary‐2 Cornstarch with Normal and Waxy Cultivars

Starches from normal, waxy, and sugary‐2 (su2) corn kernels were isolated, and their structures and properties determined. The total lipid contents of normal, waxy, and su2 corn starches were 0.84, 0.00, and 1.61%, respectively. Scanning electron micrographs showed that normal and waxy corn starch granules were spherical or angular in shape with smooth surfaces. The su2 starch granules consisted of lobes that resembled starch mutants deficient in soluble starch synthases. Normal and waxy corn starches displayed A‐type X‐ray patterns. The su2 starch showed a weak A‐type pattern. The chain‐length distributions of normal, waxy, and su2 debranched amylopectins showed the first peak chain length at DP (degree of polymerization) 13, 14, and 13, respectively; second peak chain length at DP 45, 49, and 49, respectively; and highest detectable DP of 80, 72, and 76, respectively. The su2 amylopectin showed a higher percentage of chains with DP 6–12 (22.2%) than normal (15.0%) and waxy (14.6%) amylopectins. The absolute amylose content of normal, waxy, and su2 starches was 18.8, 0.0, and 27.3%, respectively. Gel‐permeation profiles of su2 corn starch displayed a considerable amount of intermediate components. The su2 corn starch displayed lower gelatinization temperature, enthalpy change, and viscosity; a significantly higher enthalpy change for melting of amylose‐lipid complex; and lower melting temperature and enthalpy change for retrograded starch than did normal and waxy corn starches. The initial rate of hydrolysis (3 hr) of the corn starches followed the order su2 > waxy > normal corn. Waxy and su2 starches were hydrolyzed to the same extent, which was higher than normal starch after a 72‐hr hydrolysis period.     

Modification of rice starch by selective degradation of amylose using alkalophilic Bacillus cyclomaltodextrinase

A cyclomaltodextrinase (CDase) isolated from alkalophilic Bacillus sp. I-5 (CDase I-5) exists in a dodecameric form, an assembly of six dimers, each catalytic site of which is located in a narrow groove at the interface of the dimeric unit. Because of the unique geometric shape of the catalytic site, the enzyme has the ability to discriminate the molecular size of substrates. An analysis of the hydrolysis reaction of the enzyme revealed that its kcat/Km value on amylose was 14.6 s(-1) (mg/mL)(-1), whereas that for amylopectin was 0.92 s(-1) (mg/mL)(-1), showing an exceptionally high preference toward amylose. CDase I-5 was applied to modify the starch structure to produce low-amylose starch products by incubating rice starch with this enzyme. We found that the amylose content of rice starch decreased from 28.5 to 9%, while the amylopectin content remained almost constant with no significant change in the side chain length distribution. When the CDase I-5-treated rice starch was stored at 4 degrees C for 7 days, the retrogradation rate was significantly retarded as compared to that in the control sample.     

Effects of Heat-Moisture Treatment and Lipids on Gelatinization and Retrogradation of Maize and Potato Starches

Effects of heat-moisture treatment (HMT) and lipids on the structure and gelatinization of maize and potato starches were studied, and the retrogradation process of 20% HMT starch gels was also investigated. Maize starch was physically modified by HMT or by defatting. Potato starch was physically modified by HMT or by adding monoglycerides. The X-ray pattern of the HMT maize starch was assigned to a combination of A and V patterns, which indicated that HMT formed crystallized amylose complexes and recrystallized amylose in maize starch granules. However, the X-ray pattern of defatted maize starch did not change for HMT, so the lipids originally existing in starch granules were important to the formation of new crystallites during this treatment. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results suggested that weaker structures in amylopectin crystallites were more susceptible to degradation after HMT, while crystallized amylose complexes developed thermal stability after treatment. The amylose contents increased with increasing degree of HMT, which suggested that the newly created amylose arose from exterior linear chains of amylopectin degraded by the treatment. Investigation of retrogradation process showed that HMT significantly promoted retrogradation of starch gels, especially the initiation of recrystallization.     

Starch characteristics and their influences on in vitro and pig prececal starch digestion

The main objective of this research was to study the characteristics of starch granules and their influences on in vitro and pig prececal starch digestion of corn, dehulled barley, wheat, and potato. Scanning electron microscopy was used to study the starch endosperm structure in the parent material as well as in vitro starch digestion. The results showed that corn starch granules were polyhedral, with a diameter ranging from 2 to 10 μm, whereas those of dehulled barley and wheat were spherical, with a diameter ranging from 5 to 20 μm. Potato had the largest starch granules among starch sources reported herein, with oval spheres of 10-50 μm in diameter. In vitro starch hydrolysis showed that starch granules of corn degraded faster than the starch of dehulled barley and wheat, with the potato starch being degraded the slowest. The in vivo digestibility trial using ileal-cannulated pigs confirmed the starch degradation of grains. The in vitro (x, %) and in vivo (y, %) digestibility were highly correlated [y = 6.5304x - 538.48 (R(2) = 0.9924)]. On the basis of the results, in vitro starch hydrolysis might be useful in predicting in vivo prececal starch digestibility. The digestion kinetic characteristics of different starch sources might be employed to evaluate the starch digestive rate at the pig ileum.     

Pretreatment and Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Sorghum Bran

Sorghum bran has potential to serve as a low‐cost feedstock for production of fuel ethanol. Sorghum bran from a decortication process (10%) was used for this study. The approximate chemical composition of sorghum bran was 30% starch, 18% hemicellulose, 11% cellulose, 11% protein, 10% crude fat, and 3% ash. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of selected pretreatment methods such as hot water, starch degradation, dilute acid hydrolysis, and combination of those methods on enzymatic hydrolysis of sorghum bran. Methods for pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of sorghum bran involved hot water treatment (10% solid, w/v) at 130°C for 20 min, acid hydrolysis (H₂SO₄), starch degradation, and enzymatic hydrolysis (60 hr, 50°C, 0.9%, v/v) with commercial cellulase and hemicellulose enzymes. Total sugar yield by using enzymatic hydrolysis alone was 9%, obtained from 60 hr of enzyme hydrolysis. Hot water treatment facilitated and increased access of the enzymes to hemicellulose and cellulose, improving total sugar yield up to 34%. Using a combination of starch degradation, optimum hot water treatment, and optimum enzymatic hydrolysis resulted in maximum total sugar yield of up to 75%.     

Structural properties of hydrolyzed high-amylose rice starch by α-amylase from Bacillus licheniformis

High-amylose cereal starch has a great benefit on human health through its resistant starch (RS) content. Enzyme hydrolysis of native starch is very helpful in understanding the structure of starch granules and utilizing them. In this paper, native starch granules were isolated from a transgenic rice line (TRS) enriched with amylose and RS and hydrolyzed by α-amylase. Structural properties of hydrolyzed TRS starches were studied by X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, and differential scanning calorimetry. The A-type polymorph of TRS C-type starch was hydrolyzed faster than the B-type polymorph, but the crystallinity did not significantly change during enzyme hydrolysis. The degree of order in the external region of starch granule increased with increasing enzyme hydrolysis time. The amylose content decreased at first and then went back up during enzyme hydrolysis. The hydrolyzed starches exhibited increased onset and peak gelatinization temperatures and decreased gelatinization enthalpy on hydrolysis. These results suggested that the B-type polymorph and high amylose that formed the double helices and amylose-lipid complex increased the resistance to BAA hydrolysis. Furthermore, the spectrum results of RS from TRS native starch digested by pancreatic α-amylase and amyloglucosidase also supported the above conclusion.     

Regulatory effect of amino acids on the pasting behavior of potato starch is attributable to its binding to the starch chain

The binding of an amino acid, glycine (Gly), alanine (Ala), epsilon-aminocaproic acid (-AC), monosodium glutamate (GluNa), or lysine (Lys), to starch was examined by a biomolecular interaction analyzer (IAsys). A starch sample (ATS) hydrolyzed to an extent of 1% hydrolysis rate with 15% sulfuric acid was used as a model starch for the binding examination. The reducing end of ATS was oxidized by the Somogyi reagent, and the conversion of the reducing end to the carboxyl group of ATS was confirmed by a carboxylic acid fluorescence labeling reagent. The oxidized ATS was immobilized to the amino group of a sensor cuvette by using water-soluble carbodiimide and N-hydroxysuccinimide through an amide bond. The IAsys examination showed that Gly, Ala, and epsilon-AC scarcely bound to the immobilized starch chains but that GluNa and Lys favorably bound with their increasing concentrations. The relative binding index (RBI) of each amino acid was defined by the ratio of the slope of the linear regression equation between the binding response and the concentration for each amino acid to that for Gly. Because the relationships between the RBI and the pasting characteristics (pasting temperature, peak viscosity, breakdown, and swelling index) could each be expressed by a linear regression equation with a high correlation coefficient, it is concluded that the regulation of the pasting behavior of starch with an amino acid is caused by binding of the amino acid to the starch chains.     

Characterization of starch from tubers of yam bean (Pachyrhizus ahipa).

Detailed studies of the starch present in tubers of six accessions of Pachyrhizus ahipa (ahipa) have been carried out using starches from tubers of P. erosus (Mexican yam bean) and seeds of ahipa and wheat for comparison. Starch accounted for 56-58% of the tuber dry weight with granules occurring in a range of geometric forms and in sizes from below 5 microm to about 35 microm (mean about 10 microm in all accessions except two). The amylose content ranged from 11.6 to 16.8% compared with 16.9% in P. erosus tubers and over 23% in the seed starches. X- ray diffraction analysis showed A-type or C(A)-type diffraction patterns. The chain-length distribution of the amylopectin after enzyme debranching showed a peak at DP11 similar to that of wheat starch, but had a less marked shoulder at DP 21-22 and contained a higher proportion of longer chains. Differential scanning calorimitry showed an endothermic peak corresponding to gelatinization with T(max) ranging from 59 to 63 degrees C, which was similar to the T(max) of wheat (about 64 degrees C). The composition of the ahipa starch may mean that it is suitable for food applications that require low amylose content and low retrogradation after processing.     

Effects of Various Surfactants on Rheological Properties of Maize Starch Granules

In this study, the formation of complexes between surfactants and the helical chains of amylopectins was confirmed. Nonionic surfactants with hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups of appropriate size and chemical structure enhanced the swelling and gelatinization processes of starch granules. Hydrophobic groups form complexes with the amylose and linear chains of amylopectin by becoming inserted into the hydrophobic inner area of the helical structures. The hydrophilic groups help the approach of the hydrophobic groups into the hydrated molecular chains and thus aid the formation of the complex. Among the anionic surfactants tested, SDS and sodium n‐decyl benzenesulfate caused maximum swelling and gelatinization peaks. The average length of the amylopectin exterior chains is almost the same as that of the hydrophobic chains of SDS (16.9 Å) and of sodium decyl benzenesulfate (18.2 Å). This suggests that these anionic surfactants form rigid complexes with the exterior of the amylopectin by fitting their hydrophobic chains to the hydrophobic inside of the helical structures of these short exterior chains. This process was clarified by NMR analysis and by a decrease in the complex with the addition of iodine. The hydrophobic alkyl chains of anionic and cationic surfactants fix to the edge of the starch molecular chains by forming inclusion complexes with the helical chains of the amylopectin. Cationic ions interact with the starch molecular chains, causing a negative charge that results in a more rapid and efficient swelling of the starch granules. A decrease in setback value occurs due to the inhibition of rearrangement among the starch molecular chains. With SDS, the complex molecular chains become more extensively developed through the repulsion effects of the anionic ions resulting in a larger swelling power and gelatinization peak.     

Effect of gelatinization and hydrolysis conditions on the selectivity of starch hydrolysis with alpha-amylase from Bacillus licheniformis

Enzymatic hydrolysis of starch can be used to obtain various valuable hydrolyzates with different compositions. The effects of starch pretreatment, enzyme addition point, and hydrolysis conditions on the hydrolyzate composition and reaction rate during wheat starch hydrolysis with alpha-amylase from Bacillus licheniformis were compared. Suspensions of native starch or starch gelatinized at different conditions either with or without enzyme were hydrolyzed. During hydrolysis, the oligosaccharide concentration, the dextrose equivalent, and the enzyme activity were determined. We found that the hydrolyzate composition was affected by the type of starch pretreatment and the enzyme addition point but that it was just minimally affected by the pressure applied during hydrolysis, as long as gelatinization was complete. The differences between hydrolysis of thermally gelatinized, high-pressure gelatinized, and native starch were explained by considering the granule structure and the specific surface area of the granules. These results show that the hydrolyzate composition can be influenced by choosing different process sequences and conditions.