Observations on the α‐Amylolysis Pattern of Some Waxy Maize Starches from Inbred Line Ia453

Abstract

ABSTRACTMaize starches of the endosperm mutants waxy (wx), dull:waxy (duwx), and amylose‐extender:dull:waxy (aeduwx) from inbred line Ia453 lack amylose. However, in addition to high molecular weight (HMW) amylopectin, the duwx and aeduwx starches contained 40 and 80%, respectively, intermediate branched material of low molecular weight (LMW). As gelatinized, the amylopectin of the wx starch was easily hydrolyzed into small dextrins by the α‐amylase of B. amyloliquefaciens, but components of duwx and aeduwx possessed partial resistance to amylolytic attack. Residual material of intermediate size obtained by a 4‐hr α‐amylolysis could not be separated from LMW dextrins by fractional precipitation in methanol. It is suggested that this material possessed a more regularly branched structure, in which the d‐glucosyl chain segments were too short to allow α‐amylase action. The granular starches of duwx and aeduwx genotypes were initially considerably more resistant than the wx sample to α‐amylase attack. This was possibly due to an altered structure in the amylopectin component or the high content of intermediate material in the former granules.