From Molecules to Products: Some Aspects of Structure–Function Relationships in Cereal Starches

In this review, starch behavior is described from molecules in solution to the use of starch in products. The determination of molecular characteristics with asymmetrical flow field‐flow fractionation is described, and the behavior of starch in binary solutions is discussed. The organization of starch in granules and the changes in organization during gelatinization and retrogradation are then described. The role of starch retrogradation in bread staling is described in some detail, and the influence of water mobility and distribution is discussed in relation to amylopectin retrogradation. Finally, the use of starch as emulsifier is described. Hydrophobically modified starch is one possibility for emulsion stabilization; also, the starch granule as such can be used to stabilize emulsions (so‐called Pickering emulsions).