Kinetics of starch digestion and functional properties of twin-screw extruded sorghum

The time-course of starch digestion in twin-screw extruded milled sorghum grain was investigated using an in-vitro procedure based on glucometry. The sorghum grains were hammer-milled, and extruded at three levels each of moisture and screw speed. Irrespective of the extrusion conditions, extruded and non-extruded milled sorghum grain exhibited monophasic digestograms, and the modified first-order kinetic and Peleg models adequately described the digestograms. Extrusion increased the rate of digestion by about ten times compared with non-extrudates. Starch gelatinisation varied in the extrudates, and microscopy revealed a mixture of raw, gelatinised and destructured starch and protein components in the extrudates. Starch digestion parameters significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with extruder response and various functional properties of the extrudates. Extrusion conditions for maximum starch gelatinisation in milled sorghum grain for fastest digestion as an efficient animal feed were interpolated, as well as the conditions for directly-expanded extrudates with potential for human food, where minimum starch digestion is desired.     

Water solubility,thermal characteristics and biodegradability of extruded starch acetate foams

Starch based foams have been studied as replacements for non-degradable expanded polystyrene (EPS) as loose-fill packaging material because of starch’s total degradation and low cost. However, starch’s hydrophilicity, poor mechanical properties and dimensional stability limited their applications. Acetylated starch with a high degree of substitution (DS) is an alternative. Starch acetates with DS 1.11, 1.68, and 2.23 were extruded with either water or ethanol as solvents. The effects of DS and type of solvent on the starch acetate foam’s water absorption index (WAI), water solubility index (WSI), thermal behavior (glass transition temperature [T_g], melting temperature [T_m], and thermal decomposition temperature), and biodegradability were investigated. There was a significant interaction (P < 0.05) between solvent type and DS on WAI and WSI of the foams. As DS increased from 1.11 to 2.23, WAI and WSI increased when ethanol was used as solvent and decreased when water was used as solvent. The T_g values of starch decreased with acetylation and with increasing DS, but increased with extrusion. Acetylation and extrusion increased the thermal stability of the foams. The rate of biodegradation of the foams decreased with increasing DS. The foams, extruded with ethanol, had higher degradation rates than those with water.     

Functional properties of native,physically and chemically modified breadfruit (Artocarpus artilis) starch

Starch was isolated from breadfruit (Artocarpus artilis). It was further modified by oxidation, acetylation, heat–moisture-treatment and annealing. The functional properties of native and modified starches were then studied. Proximate analysis revealed that following modifications, the annealed (BANS), oxidised (BOS) and acetylated (BACS) starches retained higher moisture content compared to native starch (BNS), while heat–moisture treated starch (BHMTS) had lower moisture content. Crude fibre was reduced by following modifications, except that BNS and BANS had the same value (0.42%). Protein and fat contents were also reduced after modifications. Acetylation, oxidation and heat–moisture-treatment improved the swelling power of the native starch. The result indicates that all forms of modification reduced the solubility of native breadfruit starch. For all the starches, replacing the wheat flour by the starch resulted in increased alkaline water retention of the blends. Gelation studies revealed that native breadfruit starch is a better gelating food material than the modified derivatives. All forms of modification reduced pasting temperature, peak viscosity, hot paste viscosity and cold paste viscosity of the native starch, except that heat–moisture-treatment increased the pasting temperature. Setback value reduced after modifications, indicating that modifications would minimize starch retrogradation.     

Lipid oxidation and amylopectin molecular weight changes occurring during storage of extruded starch samples

Using thermomechanical extrusion, waxy maize starch and 4% (w/w) lipid were formed into strips. The lipids used were free fatty acids (mostly linoleic) and antioxidant stripped sunflower oil (either previously oxidised or fresh, with and without copper ions). By altering their water content it was possible to store, at the same temperature, sample strips in the glassy and rubbery states. Lipid oxidation was monitored by determining hexanal in the headspace above all stored samples. The molecular weights of the amylopectin in the samples of extruded products (dissolved in dimethylsulfoxide, precipitated and redissolved using a pressure cell) were determined by asymmetric flow-field-flow fractionation, analytical ultracentrifugation and light scattering. The initial rate of hexanal generation was higher in samples stored in the glassy state compared with those in the rubbery state. Waxy maize and extruded samples, at the start of the storage period and after 42 days, were used to establish the molecular weight of the amylopectin. A significant fall (a decrease of 40%) in molecular weight was found on storage of samples containing sunflower oil and copper ions and those containing free fatty acids, irrespective of the method used for molecular weight determination.     

Comparative study on sizing properties of amphoteric starch and phosphorylated starch for warp sizing

By varying the ratios of N-(3-chloro-2-hydroxypropl) trimethylammonium chloride and orthophosphate to starch, a series of amphoteric starch with different degree of substitution (DS) were prepared for evaluating sizing effect of amphoteric starch for cotton warps. The amphoteric starch contained quaternary ammonium and phosphate groups simultaneously, and was set to electric neutrality by varying relative quantity of anionic and cationic groups in order to prevent adverse effects of negative and positive charges. The influence of amphoteric modification of starch on the adhesion to cotton fibers was assessed by measuring tensile strength and work-to-break of slightly sized cotton roving and comparing the adhesion of amphoteric starch with those of phosphorylated one. Comparison on mechanical performances of amphoteric starch film over phosphorylated one was evaluated in terms of tensile strength, breaking extension and wear loss of starch film. The properties such as increase in tensile strength, loss in elasticity, abrasion resistance, and hairiness of cotton yarns sized with amphoteric starch were evaluated through control tests by the comparison with those of phosphorylated one. When zeta potential of amphoteric starch was set close to zero, the adhesion increased and the properties of sized yarns enhanced as the modification level increased. The amphoteric starch was evidently superior to phosphorylated one in improving the quality of sized cotton yarns. The amphoteric starch with neutral zeta potential and DS levels of 0.02–0.03 for quaternary ammonium groups and phosphate ones, respectively, could be applied to size cotton warp yarns for the improvement of yarn quality.     

Properties of maize starch modified by ball milling in ethanol medium and low field NMR determination of the water molecular mobility in their gels

Ethanol as moisturizing agent and ball-milling treatment, has been combined in order to determine their impacts on the improvement of the properties of physically modified maize (Zea mays) starch granules. The content of ethanol has been set respecting a ratio of starch to ethanol varying from 1:0 to 1:3 (w:v), and the ball-milling time varied between 0 and 72 h. We observed that the increase of the amylose content varied in a more effective way with increase of the milling time (p < 0.05) than with the variation of the starch to ethanol ratios. As expected, modified starches were more transparent, more soluble, less crystalline, and presented damaged structures. In all cases, the starch granule sizes were better distributed at ratios of starch to ethanol of 1:0 and 1:3 (w:v) respectively. In addition, the impact of the combination of these treatments on the mobility of water molecules in starch gels characterized by the transverse relaxation time (T₂), as well as the abundance of protons (¹H T₂) in each populations were determined by low field NMR. Mobility of water molecules within starch gels increased at high temperature. Nonetheless, the proton population at T₂ > 10 ms (characterized by T₂₂) for the modified starch (starch/ethanol, 1:3 w:v) was fundamental in the different water concentrations, and accounts for 70 to 90% of total protons, at temperatures >60 °C.     

Effects of gamma irradiation on starch granule structure and physicochemical properties of brown rice starch

In the present research effects of gamma irradiation (5–20 kGy) on the physicochemical, antioxidant and thermal properties of brown rice starch were studied. Scanning electron microscopy displayed mostly polyhedral shapes with no surface fractures. XRD displayed characteristic A type pattern and decrease in per cent crystallinity (22.53–20.41%) was observed as the dose increased from 5 to 20 kGy. DPPH % inhibition and FRAP values were increased in a dose dependent manner. Pasting properties (peak, final and setback viscosity) decreased with irradiation. Pasting temperature also significantly decreased with irradiation for all the irradiated starches. The transition temperatures, enthalpy of gelatinization, pH and apparent amylose content of starch decreased significantly with increase in irradiation dose.     

Thermoplastic starch modified during melt processing with organic acids: The effect of molar mass on thermal and mechanical properties

Thermoplastic starch (TPS) was modified with ascorbic acid and citric acid by melt processing of native starch with glycerol as plasticizer in an intensive batch mixer at 160 °C. It was found that the molar mass decreases with acid content and processing time causing the reduction in melting temperature (T_m). As observed by the results of X-ray diffraction and DSC measurements, crystallinity was not changed by the reaction with organic acids. T_m depression with falling molar mass was interpreted on the basis of the effect of concentration of end-chain units, which act as diluents. FTIR did not show any appreciable change in starch chemical compositions, leading to the conclusion that the main changes observed were produced by the variation in molar mass of the material. We demonstrated that it is possible to decrease melt viscosity without the need for more plasticizer thus avoiding side-effects such as an increase in water affinity or relevant changes in the dynamic mechanical properties.     

The nutritional properties of extruded and non-extruded corn fiber isolate

The feed efficiency and selected organ weights of rats fed diets containing 3 or 7% corn fiber, extruded corn fiber or silica were compared to rats fed a fiber-free diet. No significant differences were found in feed efficiency, spleen, lung or liver weights for any of the treatments relative to the fiber-free control diet.     

Acoustic,mechanical and microstructural properties of extruded crisp bread

The aim of this work was to describe the texture and structure of crisp bread obtained with different extrusion parameters. The texture of different crisp bread samples was evaluated using a combination of acoustic and mechanical tests. The advantage of this measurement setup is the feasibility of simultaneous registering of the force–deformation characteristics, sounds (using an acoustic envelope detector coupled to the texture analyser with a microphone) as well as mechanical vibrations (registered using a piezoelectric sensor) generated during a penetration test. All analysed samples of bread were products with a crisp texture that emitted audible sounds with a significant intensity that could be registered with a microphone as well as with a contact method. Micro-CT cross-section images showed the highly porous structure of the crisp breads but variant 3 appeared to have thicker walls and larger cells than the other breads.     

Irradiation and storage effects on some properties of potato starch and use of thermoluminescence for identification of irradiated tubers

The effect on properties of starch isolated from Ajax and Diamant potatoes freshly harvested and irradiated immediately after harvest and after two weeks with 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, and 0.20 kGy were reported. Changes due to postirradiation storage up to six months at two different conditions (5 C, 90±2% RH and 20 C, 79±5% RH) were also studied. Swelling power (SP) slightly decreased or remained unchanged with different irradiation dose, but the effect of timing of irradiation after harvest was significant. Doses of 0.2 and 0.15 kGy significantly (p≤0.05) increased solubility, particularly at 90 C solubility temperature compared to lower doses. Decrease in viscosity with increasing dose immediately after irradiation was observed in both varieties but was more pronounced in Diamant. However, changes were dependent on variety, irradiation dose, timing of irradiation, and postirradiation storage conditions. Viscoamylograph test showed that 0.2 kGy significantly (p≤0.05) increased transmission temperature (TT) and temperature at maximum viscosity (TMV), but decreased the maximum viscosity immidiately after irradiation. The same trend was established during the post-irradiation storage time, particularly in Ajax starch, regardless of timing of irradiation or storage conditions. Thermoluminescence (TL) glow curves exhibited qualitative differences between irradiated and unirradiated tubers during the entire storage period, but dose estimation could not be determined.     

Effect of extrusion process variables on physical and chemical properties of extruded oat products

The purpose of this research was tostudy the effects of initial moisture levels andextrusion temperatures on bulk density, waterabsorption and water solubility indexes, viscosity,and color of extruded oat products. The dehulledgrains were ground in a Brabender Quadrumat Seniormill and the coarse fraction, with higher amounts ofcrude protein, lipids, and dietary fiber content, wereconditioned to moisture levels of 15.5–25.5% andextruded in a Brabender single-screw laboratoryextruder. The water absorption index of extrudateswere relatively low (4.16–6.35 g gel/g sample) butincreased as the initial moisture of the raw materialas well as the extrusion temperature was elevated.The water solubility index was inversely proportionalto the extrusion temperature. Initial viscosity of thepaste increased with the increase of raw materialmoisture and extrusion temperature, while the maximumviscosity (at a constant temperature) diminished withthe increase of temperature. Products with lowervalues of L* (luminosity) and greater values ofa* (red) and b* (yellow) were obtained athigh moisture rates and at a 120 ^°C extrusiontemperature.     

Effect of repeated heating and cooling cycles on the pasting properties of starch

The properties of starch and starch–lipid pastes have been explored using a novel extended Rapid Visco Analyser (RVA) profile, in which the heating and cooling cycles are repeated five times. Starches from four wheat varieties with amylose content ranging from 23 to 27%, and waxy starches of wheat, rice and maize were tested, alone and in mixtures with lauric acid and monopalmitin (glyceryl-1-monopalmitin). Gels of all of the starches formed and melted reproducibly during repeated heating and cooling in the RVA. The addition of lauric acid to the waxy starches had no effect on the multiple RVA profile. Monopalmitin caused an increase in viscosity during the heating stage of the second to the fifth cycles with the waxy starches, which was attributed to the presence of monopalmitin aggregates. Changes in the multiple cycle viscosity traces observed when monopalmitin or lauric acid was added to the amylose-containing starches were complex. It was concluded that RVA paste viscosities were determined by starch–lipid interactions, as well as by free lipid in the starch mixtures. The water solubility of the lipid and association of proteins with starch granules influence these interactions.     

Effects of glutelin and globulin on the physicochemical properties of rice starch and flour

The effect of two rice endosperm proteins, glutelin and globulin, on the physicochemical properties of rice starch and flour was investigated. Albumin, globulin, prolamin and glutelin were sequentially extracted from defatted rice flour with de-ionised water, 1.5 M NaCl, propan-2-ol and 0.1 M NaOH, respectively, followed by dialysis and lyophilisation. Globulin and glutelin were then added to pure rice starch at various concentrations, separately and together, and the pasting and textural properties of mixtures were analysed by the Rapid Visco Analyser (RVA) and TA-XT2 textural analyser, respectively. The presence of glutelin in rice starch caused an increase in pasting temperature but a decrease in the viscosity parameters of the starch paste. The concentration of glutelin was also positively correlated with the hardness and adhesive properties of the starch gel. The presence of globulin, on the other hand, resulted in a decrease in all the pasting and textural parameters except gel hardness and the changes were linearly correlated with the concentration of the protein for most of the physical parameters. When the two proteins were added to rice starch together, the outcomes in pasting and textural properties were generally dependent upon the relative concentrations of the two proteins, but were also influenced by the presence of the other two protein fractions, albumin and prolamin. The presence of globulin initially accelerated the rate of water absorption by starch during cooking while the presence of glutelin slowed it down, but in both cases, the ultimate amount of water absorbed was significantly lower than that by pure starch. The contrasting effects of the different protein fractions mean that it might be possible to manipulate the textural properties of rice starch and flour to achieve desirable sensory outcomes by varying the proportions of the protein fractions in product formulations.     

Effects of prolamin on the textural and pasting properties of rice flour and starch

Prolamin is a major class of rice proteins but its influence on the physicochemical properties of rice is not clear. Rapid Visco Analyser (RVA) and TA-XT2 TPA textural analyses were performed on rice starch with the addition of prolamin extracted from three rice cultivars (Hitomebore, M103 and Amaroo), and on rice flour with the prolamin removed by propan-2-ol extraction. Addition of prolamin to rice starch was found to cause a significant (P<0.05) increase in RVA breakdown viscosity but significant (P<0.05) decreases in hardness, adhesiveness and gumminess of the starch gel. Similarly, when prolamin was removed from rice flour, exactly the opposite effect was observed. Addition of prolamin to rice starch also caused it to absorb water faster during cooking but the gelatinised starch absorbed less water compared with control samples without prolamin.     

Physical properties of cryomilled rice starch

Cryomilling of rice starch was evaluated as a non-chemical way to modify starch structure and properties. Cryomilling in a liquid nitrogen bath (63–77.2 K) was done to Quest (10.80% amylose) and Pelde (20.75% amylose) rice starch at five different time frames (0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 min). The viscosity of the cryomilled rice starch decreased significantly (p < 0.05) with increasing milling duration, including peak viscosity, hot-paste viscosity, cold-paste viscosity, breakdown, and consistency. Increasing milling time significantly increased (p < 0.05) water solubility index and water absorption index. Infra-red spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction crystallography both showed that the crystallinity of the cryomilled starch decreased with increasing milling time. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses showed that after 60 min cryomilling there was partial loss of crystallinity (86% for Quest and 91% for Pelde) of both cryomilled starches. The cryomilling process modified the rice starch by causing a loss of crystallinity, that reduced its pasting temperature and increased water absorption, and by fragmentation of starch (probably the amylopectin fraction) that reduced the viscosity and increased solubility.     

Effects of plasticizer on the mechanical properties of kenaf/starch bio-composites

Research and development of biodegradable bio-composite can replacement the synthetic polymer materials, which is used for automobile interior materials, finishing materials of air conditioner and refrigerator. To develop both components as biodegradable bio-composite, this research used natural polymer starch as matrix and kenaf fiber as a filler. Various plasticizer(polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene glycol, glycerol) were added and examined the mechanical properties of the kenaf/starch bio-composites according to these plasticizer. The kenaf bast which cultivated in Korea was retted with 2 % NaOH solution. The plasticizer weighting 10 % of that of matrix was added. kenaf/starch composites were molded with hot press for 30 minutes at 130 °C and 3,500 PSI molding condition. The mechanical properties such as tensile strength, elongation, and young modulus of the kenaf/starch composites were measured. Also, we measured the SEM cross-section images in order to investigate interfacial adhesion properties of fractured surfaces. The order of strength size of composites were G (12.42 MPa) > PVA (9.72 MPa) > PEG (4.73 MPa) samples respectively. The tensile strength of PEG sample is lower than the control sample (5.40 MPa).     

Evaluation of ingredient effects on extruded starch-based foams using a supersaturated split-plot design

The aim of this study was to use a supersaturated split-plot design to identify the significant effects of ten ingredients, each at two levels, and two levels of screw speed on selected properties of starch-based packaging foams. Supersaturated designs are special types of fractional factorial designs that allow for evaluating many factors with a minimal amount of experimental material. Rice starch foams were prepared with a twin-screw extruder. The ingredients used were α-cellulose (fiber), potato starch, poly(lactic acid), polystyrene, glycerol, sodium chloride, talc, sodium bicarbonate, citric acid and moisture content of the feed. The properties studied were radial expansion ratio, unit density, bulk spring index, bulk compressibility and Young's modulus. The results showed that the ingredients identified to have significant effects on the properties were the high levels of talc, citric acid, moisture content and the low level of fiber. Low screw speed was found to have greater effect on the properties of the foams than did the high screw speed. It was concluded that the supersaturated split-plot design was successful in identifying the significant ingredients and screw speed that should be used to further investigate the extrusion of starch-based packaging foams.