Insoluble Starch Research Articles

Agglomeration of Hematite Concentrate by Starches

ABSTRACTStarches of varying solubilities were investigated as a partial and full bentonite replacements. They were found to be suitable for the pelletization of iron ore concentrate. When utilizing starches of varying solubility as a direct bentonite replacement, dry compression strengths increased by nearly 300 N, as compared to bentonite alone, with the highest solubility starch. This implies that on an equivalent mass basis, starch is a far superior binder than bentonite prior to 500 °C. Above this temperature bentonite became the dominating binding factor as starch had combusted and the strengths due to starch were los(t. As a partial bentonite replacement, starch again shows increasing compression strength. The highest strengths were observed where the highest solubility starches were used. Further study has indicated that starch is comprised of insoluble starch granules and soluble starch chains, the latter being the only viable binding agent.

Effects of chemical and enzymatic modifications on starch-linoleic acid complex formation

This study investigated the complexation yield and physicochemical properties of soluble and insoluble starch complexes with linoleic acid when a β-amylase treatment was applied to acetylated and debranched potato starch. The degree of acetylation was generally higher in the soluble complexes than in the insoluble ones. The insoluble complexes from the acetylated starch displayed the V-type pattern, whereas, the soluble complexes displayed a mixture of either the A-/V-type or the B-/V-type pattern. Acetylation decreased onset and peak melting temperatures for the insoluble complexes, whereas no melting endotherm was observed in the soluble complexes. Acetylation substantially increased the amount of complexed linoleic acid in the insoluble complexes, but had little positive effect on the formation of the soluble complexes. The β-amylase treatment significantly increased the complexed linoleic content in both soluble and insoluble complexes for the low acetylated starch, but not for the high acetylated starch.

Formation of starch in plant cells.

Starch-rich crops form the basis of our nutrition, but plants have still to yield all their secrets as to how they make this vital substance. Great progress has been made by studying both crop and model systems, and we approach the point of knowing the enzymatic machinery responsible for creating the massive, insoluble starch granules found in plant tissues. Here, we summarize our current understanding of these biosynthetic enzymes, highlighting recent progress in elucidating their specific functions. Yet, in many ways we have only scratched the surface: much uncertainty remains about how these components function together and are controlled. We flag-up recent observations suggesting a significant degree of flexibility during the synthesis of starch and that previously unsuspected non-enzymatic proteins may have a role. We conclude that starch research is not yet a mature subject and that novel experimental and theoretical approaches will be important to advance the field.

Enhancing Flower Stalk Emergence in <i>Phalaenopsis</i> by Red Light Supplementation

A key step in regulating the flowering of Phalaenopsis is to control the emergence of the flower stalk or spiking. Light quality is an important factor to regulate plant reproduction. We used either red or blue light emitting diodes (LEDs) to substitute for 10% photosynthetic photon flux emitted by white fluorescent tubes as the control (WC) at approximately 70 μmole&middotm-2&middots-1 to examine the effects of enhanced red (WR) or blue (WB) light on spiking and the dawn-to-dusk fluctuations in the photosynthetic pigments and carbohydrates of Phalaenopsis aphrodite, which were grown in 7.5 cm diameter pots for six weeks. WR treatment significantly elevated the ratio of red to far-red light and the level of phytochrome photostationary state in concurrence with an increase in the spiking ratio and length, but had little effect on the concentrations of chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b in the leaf, levels of soluble sugars such as glucose, fructose, sucrose, and insoluble starch in the leaf and shortened stem, the locus of spiking, when compared to the other two treatments. Evidently, the spiking of Phalaenopsis is improved by dependent on the relative amount of active phytochrome expressed in the photostationary state.

Kinetics of CaCO3 precipitation in an anaerobic digestion process integrated with silicate minerals

Integration of silicate minerals in the anaerobic digestion (AD) process has recently been proposed as a way to sequester CO2, neutralize the pH and produce biobased products such as biogas and biofertilizers. The objective of this study was to investigate the kinetics of CaCO3 precipitation in an anaerobic digestion process integrated with a silicate mineral (wollastonite).The first series of experiments studied the precipitation kinetics during the methanogenic phase by addition of calciumacetate to anaerobic batch reactors. CaCO3 precipitation initiated when the ion activity product of Ca2+ and CO32− exceeded calcium carbonate monohydrate solubility product (Ksp of 5.7×10−8 at 35°C). Addition of calcite seed crystal at the start of the experiment showed that the precipitation could be initiated earlier by reducing the induction period. In these experiments, precipitation of CO2 in the form of CaCO3 showed an 52% increase in CH4 content of the biogas (71±0.5% v/v CH4) compared to that of the control experiment fed with sodium acetate (53±0.5% v/v CH4).In the second set of experiments, single-stage anaerobic batch digestions with 25g/l wollastonite (63–125μm) at two different substrate concentrations (5.5g/l and 17.5g/l insoluble starch) were studied. In these experiments the main processes of wollastonite dissolution and calcite precipitation occurred, however the limited separation of fermentation and methanogenesis phases resulted in a limited increase in methane content of the biogas. Although the precipitation was observed at lower supersaturation, the crystal growth followed the same pattern as in previous experiments with calcium acetate. In both sets of experiments, a self-regulating pH could be achieved in the system as the result of the presence of wollastonite which caused the pH to remain in the range of 5.7–7.9. Obtaining an improved biogas and a self-regulated pH in a digester contribute to the advantages of CO2 sequestration by means of silicate minerals in anaerobic digestion systems.

PENGARUH BERAT PATI DAN VOLUME PLASTICIZER GLISEROL TERHADAP KARAKTERISTIK FILM BIOPLASTIK PATI KENTANG

Bioplastics are plastics which can be degraded by microorganisms and is made from renewable materials. Plastic film is made from potato starch (contain of starch that founded in potatoes is 22-28%), glycerol as a plasticizer and acetic acid as a catalyst. The purpose of this reasearch is to determine glycerol variation and starch weight effect on the characteristics of potato starch plastic films. Manufacture of plastic films use blending starch method with potato starch weight variations (10 g, 15 g and 20 g) and glycerol volume variations (0 ml, 1 ml, 2 ml and 3 ml). Bioplastic analysis are FTIR test, tensile strength that is supported by SEM analysis. The results obtained in the FTIR analysis does not form a new cluster on potato starch plastic film, neither on the plastic film with or without glycerol. FTIR results obtained in two plastic film are the change of OH, C = C, and CH groups strain. The strain value of OH group on potato starch is 3579.88 cm-1 turned into 2978.09 cm-1 for plastic film without glycerol while the plastic film with glycerol to be 3541.31 cm -1 and 2970.38 cm-1. C = C group is 1635.64 cm-1turned to 1697.36 cm -1 and 1697.36 cm -1. As for CH group is 2873.79 cm -1 turned to 2877.79 cm -1 and 2870.08 cm -1. And tensile strength of plastic film decreased with increasing glycerol volume. Maximum tensile strength of plastic film occurs when potato starch weight is 10 g and glycerol volume is 0 ml is 9.397 MPa. While SEM results obtained confirm on tensile strength plastic film, where there are voids, indentations and insoluble starch clump starch that can affect the value of tensile strength plastic film.

Características fisicoquímicas de nueve híbridos de sorgo (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) y su relación con el contenido de almidón y digestión ruminal

Nueve híbridos de sorgo (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) se analizaron para determinar la relación de sus características físicas [materia seca (MS), peso de mil granos (PMG), tamaño de partícula (TP), densidad relativa(DR), superficie de área (SA), partículas por gramo (PPG), endospermo duro (END-DU), endospermo blando (ENDBL)]; y químicas [nitrógeno total (NT), fibra detergente ácido (FDA), fibra detergente neutro (FDN), contenido de almidón (ALM), almidón soluble (AlmS), almidón insoluble (AlmNS). La digestión ruminal esperada (DRUM) se estimó con las fracciones de AlmS y AlmNS in vitro. El promedio de PMG, TP, DR, SA, PPG y END-DU fue de 24.61 g, 3.17 mm, 1.30 g/cm3, 17.44 cm2/g, 30.33 y 46.68 %, respectivamente El promedio (%) de MS, PC, FDN, FDA, ALM, AlmS y AlmNS fue de 92.47, 8.19, 19.17 y 8.30, 69.58, 6.00 y 47.74 respectivamente. La concentración de taninos fue baja (<0.003 eqCat). La DRUM promedió 66 % (rango 64.6 a 68.4 %). No se detectó ninguna relación (P>0.05) entre las variables físicas o químicas con el contenido total de almidón en el grano; sin embargo las variables densidad relativa y superficie de área, permiten incrementar el poder de predicción de la digestibilidad ruminal del almidón (DRUM,%= 74.058 - 0.108END-DU + 0.027SA – 5.887DR, R2= 0.77, P<0.05). De acuerdo a los resultados obtenidos, las variedades estudiadas son de dureza intermedia, libres de taninos y con un potencial de digestibilidad ruminal del almidón del 66 %.

Development of method of use of acid-resistant selective action enzyme preparations

A lot of studies were conducted nowadays in distilling industry on biocatalysis and fermentation of wort from starch-containing raw material using selective action enzyme complexes, but operational parameters for hydrolysis of starch-containing raw material biopolymers are not sufficiently investigated at low pH of the substrate. On the market of enzyme preparations in Ukraine there are acid-resistant enzymes that enable hydrolysis of grain mashes in low pH environment. This article concentrates on determination of efficiency of use of acid-resistant enzyme preparations (EP) when producing worts from starch-containing raw material. The results of studies on content in wort of water-soluble carbohydrates and insoluble starch depending on pH, temperature of termofermentive processing (TFP) and enzyme activity stabilizer Ca2+ ions are demonstrated. In terms of bioconversion efficiency of raw grain material components and assurance of microbiological purity of intermediate products of alcohol production, optimum pH is 3.8 - 4.0, mash processing time is 90 minutes.

Starch to value added biochemicals

An in‐depth review on the catalytic transformation of starch to a remarkable breadth of products is discussed. The physicochemical properties of starches from different varieties are reported to influence their functionality. However, the impact of such properties on the reaction parameters for the cost‐effective production of selective chemicals is largely unexplored. With the emergence of ionic liquids as the reaction media, water insoluble starch biopolymer can be easily dissolved and converted to reaction products simultaneously. Furthermore, microwave assisted chemical synthesis is known to enhance the reaction rates and optimize the resultant product selectivity. Physical and chemical modifications of starch also plays a vital role in the production of commodity chemicals. Recently, the potential routes to the production of biochemicals from biomass like glucaric acid, 5‐hydroxymethyl furfural, 2,5‐diformylfuran, 2,5‐furandicarboxylic acid, 2,5‐dimethylfuran, levulinic acid and sorbitol have been studied. Similar promising routes from inexpensive starches are analyzed in the review, as a function of the challenges associated to their chemical pathways and scalability.

Lubrication of starch in ionic liquid–water mixtures: Soluble carbohydrate polymers form a boundary film on hydrophobic surfaces

Soluble starch polymers are shown to enhance the lubrication of ionic liquid–water solvent mixtures in low-pressure tribological contacts between hydrophobic substrates. A fraction of starch polymers become highly soluble in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (EMIMAc)–water solvents with ionic liquid fraction ≥60wt%. In 65wt% EMIMAc, a small amount of soluble starch (0.33wt%) reduces the boundary friction coefficient by up to a third in comparison to that of the solvent. This low-friction is associated with a nanometre thick film (ca. 2nm) formed from the amylose fraction of the starch. In addition, under conditions where there is a mixture of insoluble starch particles and solubilised starch polymers, it is found that the presence of dissolved amylose enhances the lubrication of starch suspensions between roughened substrates. These findings open up the possibility of utilising starch biopolymers, as well as other hydrocolloids, for enhancing the performance of ionic liquid lubricants.

Case Study: Commercialization of Sweet Sorghum Juice Clarification for Large-Scale Syrup Manufacture

The precipitation and burning of insoluble starch granules from sweet sorghum juice on heating coils prevented the large-scale manufacture of syrup at a new industrial plant in Missouri, USA. To remove insoluble starch granules, a series of small and large-scale experiments were conducted at the plant on raw juice extracted by roller milling from two commercial sweet sorghum cultivars Honey Drip and M81E. Both starch concentration and granule size contributed to processing problems. Leaving de-aerated raw juice in settling tanks before clarification settled out a considerable amount of small to medium sized starch granules, but did not remove enough starch. Hot clarification of juice performed better than cold clarification in removing starch and turbid particles. During the USDA hot clarification process (heat to 80 °C; lime to pH 6.5 with milk of lime [360 g/L]; 5 ppm polyanionic flocculant) in the plant, some starch was solubilized. Small to large size starch granules were removed in the clarification mud which improved as settling time progressed. At least 1 h of settling is recommended in the plant. Late in the processing season, scum formed on the surface of the juice that did not contain any starch granules, but did contain microscopic bubbles making the scum less dense than juice and unprecipitable. This highlights sweet sorghum quality differences across the processing season that still need to be addressed along with cultivar differences. Overall, the introduction of juice de-aeration, settling, and clarification steps enabled the large-scale manufacture of syrup and helped to mitigate quality and processing differences due to cultivar and environmental effects and thus assured continual supply to customers.

Development of an analytical method to measure insoluble and soluble starch in sugarcane and sweet sorghum products

A rapid research method using microwave-assisted probe ultrasonication was developed to quantify total, insoluble, and soluble starch in various sugar crop products. Several variables affecting starch solubilisation were evaluated, (1) heating method, (2) boiling time, (3) probe ultrasonication time, (4) water loss, (5) concentration, (6) sample colour, and (7) sample. The optimised method solubilises <40,000ppm insoluble starch with microwave-assisted sonication in 6min, has acceptable precision (<6% CV), accuracy (⩾95%), uses a corn starch reference, and incorporates a colour blank to remove contribution from natural colourants found in industrial samples. This method was validated using factory samples and found applicable to sugarcane and sweet sorghum bagasse (3% CV), mixed juices (2%), massecuites (4%), molasses (7%), and raw sugars (12%), 100% satisfactory performance z-scores were also obtained. Total starch values obtained with this method were significantly higher than those measured using other methods presently accepted by the sugar industry.

Direct bioethanol production by amylolytic yeast Candida albicans.

An attempt was made to produce bioethanol using optimized fermentation parameters and mutationally improved strain of Candida albicans. The mutant strain OMC3E6 obtained by UV irradiation followed by ethidium bromide successive mutations showed 2.6 times more glucoamylase secretion and 1.5 times more bioethanol production via direct conversion of starch. Enhanced hydrolysis of insoluble starch (72%) and potato starch (70%) was achieved with glucoamylase enzyme preparation from mutant C. albicans. In fermentation medium, the use of maltose, corn steep liquor, NaH2 PO4 , NaCl + MgSO4 and Triton X-100 has increased the glucoamylase production by the microbe. Under optimized conditions, C. albicans eventually produced 437 g ethanol kg(-1) potatoes. Earlier reports mentioned the use of thrice the quantity of starch as reported by us followed by more fermentation period (3-4 days) and demanded pretreatment of starch sources with alpha-amylase as well. Here, we simplified these three steps and obtained 73% conversion of insoluble starch into ethanol via direct conversion method in a period of 2 days without the involvement of cell immobilizations or enzyme pretreatment steps. Due to fast depletion of fossil fuels in the modern world, bioethanol usage as an alternate energy source is the need of the hour. For the first time, we report bioethanol production by Candida albicans via direct conversion of starchy biomass into ethanol along with enhanced starch-hydrolysing capacity and ethanol conversion ratio. So far, C. albicans was dealt in the field of clinical pathology, but here we successfully employed this organism to produce bioethanol from starchy agri-substrates. Optimizing fermentation parameters and improving the microbial strains through successive mutagenesis can improve the end product yield.

Ethanol Production from Starch by Hydrolysis and Fermentation

At present amylase is used for hydrolysis of starch before alcohol fermentation. Ethanol production from starch after hydrolysis of starch by acid was studied in this paper. Hydrochloric acid was used for hydrolysis. Different acid concentration and time were used for hydrolysis. We have used four substrates: soluble starch, insoluble starch, jwar (sorghum) and sweet potato. Jwar (sorghum) and sweet potato are starchy substrates available in plenty. These substrates we have used. We observed 92.79% hydrolysis with 13.33% soluble starch, 16.66% HCl concentration for 30 minutes. We observed 96.51% hydrolysis of insoluble starch (14.28%) by 20.63% HCl when 20 minutes heating time was used. In case of jwar we found 69.23% hydrolysis where 17.85% jwar (sorghum) was treated with 20.63% HCl for 30 minutes heating. We got 62.08% hydrolysis for 14.28% sweet potato starch treated with 20.63% HCl for 30 minutes heating. pH adjustment of hydrolyzate was studied. NaOH, NaOH with potassium phosphate for buffering action, calcium hydroxide, calcium carbonate were studied for pH adjustment. These hydrolyzate were subjected to fermentation after adjusting pH. Baker's yeast was used for fermentation. Fermentation was carried out at temperature 28°C without shaking for 24h. We have obtained 4.37, 4.57 and 3.61% ethanol from fermentation soluble starch, insoluble starch and jwar (sorghum) hydrolyzate respectively.

New perspectives on the role of α- and β-amylases in transient starch synthesis.

Transient starch in leaves is synthesized by various biosynthetic enzymes in the chloroplasts during the light period. This paper presents the first mathematical model for the (bio)synthesis of the chain-length distribution (CLD) of transient starch to aid the understanding of this synthesis. The model expresses the rate of change of the CLD in terms of the actions of the enzymes involved. Using this to simulate the experimental CLD with different enzyme combinations is a new means to test for enzymes that are significant to the rate of change of the CLD during synthesis. Comparison between the simulated CLD from different enzyme combinations and the experimental CLD in the leaves of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana indicate α-amylase, in addition to the core starch biosynthetic enzymes, is also involved in the modification of glucans for the synthesis of insoluble starch granules. The simulations suggest involvement of β-amylase, in the absence of α-amylase in mutants, slows the rate of attaining a crystalline-competent CLD for crystallization of glucans to form insoluble starch. This suggests a minor role of β-amylase in shaping normal starch synthesis. The model simulation predicts that debranching of glucans is an efficient mechanism for the attainment of crystalline-competent CLD; however, attaining this is still possible, albeit slower, through combinations of α- and β-amylase in the absence of isoamylase-type debranching enzyme. In Arabidopsis defective in one of the isoamylase-type debranching enzymes, the impact of α-amylase in starch synthesis is reduced, while β-amylase becomes significantly involved, slowing the rate of synthesis in this mutant. Modeling of transient starch CLD brings to light previously unrecognized but significant effects of α- and β-amylase on the rate of transient starch synthesis.

Insoluble starch composite foams produced through microwave expansion

An insoluble biocomposite composed of potato starch and chitosan was prepared by microwave treatment. The effect of pH on swelling (liquid absorption) behavior of the composites was investigated at pH 2, pH 6.8 and pH 12. Analysis revealed that the solution uptake ratio of composites depends both on the aqueous pH value and the content of the chitosan. Composites exhibited a relatively high swelling ratio at pH environments lower than the pKa of amine groups on chitosan (about 6.3). Glucose analysis by ion exchange chromatography showed that there was little hydrolysis of such composites at low pH. When immersed in the same pH solution, composites with higher chitosan content exhibited higher swelling ratios. The microstructure of composites produced was also investigated by FE-SEM.

Discovery of a unique starch degradation system in the thermophilic red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae (769.18)

Starch is a key component in many aspects of daily life, including nutrition, biofuel production, and industrial processing: 50‐80% of daily caloric intake comes from starch; &gt;20% of corn starch produced in the U.S. is converted to ethanol; and starch is a cheap and renewable industrial feedstock for producing paper, textiles, adhesives, plastics, and pharmaceuticals. Starch is comprised of glucose chains that intertwine into double helices that pack together to make starch insoluble and inaccessible to most enzymes, including the amylases that release its energy cache. Starch‐based feedstocks are generated by modifying starch using physical, chemical, and enzymatic methods. Physical modifications include cyclic heating/cooling between 50°C and &gt;100°C. The addition of acids and bases to this process both catalyzes glucan chain hydrolysis and converts insoluble starch to a structure that improves accessibility of glucan chains to amylases. Alternatively, plants utilize an orchestrated reversible phosphorylation system to efficiently solubilize the starch surface, a process that can be mimicked to improve in vitro starch degradation. We recently discovered a unique dikinase‐phosphatase system in the thermophilic red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae that is integral for starch degradation and different from systems seen in Kingdom Plantae. First, we defined the evolutionary phylogeny of this unique system. We cloned the genes, purified the enzymes from a recombinant expression system, and defined their kinetics and substrate specificities. Lastly, we demonstrated that these enzymes dramatically increase in vitro starch degradation of amylases. Collectively, this study provides a basis for understanding how glucan kinases and phosphatases function at the molecular level.Grant Funding Source: NSF#1252345

IMPROVING PRODUCTION OF PURIFIED KONJAC GLUCOMANNAN FROM AMORPHOPHALLUS MUELLERI BY MULTISTAGE DRYING

Konjac glucomannan can be obtained from corms of various species within the Amorphophallus genus. The most popular species for use in food industry is BukNueaSai (Amorphophallus muelleri), a native species in Thailand as well as Amorphophallus bulbifer, a native species in Yunnan province, China, which are characterised by high glucomannan content, high viscosity of its glucomannan solution and stronger resistance to diseases than other species. Fresh konjac corm consists of carbohydrates, especially glucomannan, insoluble starch, cellulose, proteins, lipids and some impurities such as calcium oxalate which should be eliminated for safe consumption. Production of konjac glucomannan involves both dry and wet extraction processes. After this stage, the purified konjac glucomannan is dried down to safe moisture content for storage. However, improper handling of the drying process can significantly reduce the quality of konjac glucomannan. The aim of this research is to develop a multistage drying process for producing high quality purified konjac glucomannan flour as characterized by high whiteness index value, viscosity and low sulphur dioxide residue and shorter drying time. After wet extraction process, the purified konjac glucomannan was dried using hot air at various temperatures in the range of 50-90°C. As a result, a multistage drying process was developed following this concept. The results show that the multistage drying has significantly improved the whiteness index value but decreased the viscosity with the residual sulphur dioxide content of KGM flour and the drying time being reduced in comparison with the conventional hot air drying at constant drying temperature. A solution of KGM flour produced from fresh corms has higher viscosity than the solution of KGM flour from dried slices. However, the whiteness index of KGM flour shows no significant differences between treatments. In addition, the solution of KGM flour produced from A. muelleri has significantly higher viscosity than that of KGM flour produced from A. bulbifer. However, KGM flour from A. bulbifer has a very high whiteness index value.

Arabidopsis thaliana AMY3 Is a Unique Redox-regulated Chloroplastic α-Amylase

α-Amylases are glucan hydrolases that cleave α-1,4-glucosidic bonds in starch. In vascular plants, α-amylases can be classified into three subfamilies. Arabidopsis has one member of each subfamily. Among them, only AtAMY3 is localized in the chloroplast. We expressed and purified AtAMY3 from Escherichia coli and carried out a biochemical characterization of the protein to find factors that regulate its activity. Recombinant AtAMY3 was active toward both insoluble starch granules and soluble substrates, with a strong preference for β-limit dextrin over amylopectin. Activity was shown to be dependent on a conserved aspartic acid residue (Asp(666)), identified as the catalytic nucleophile in other plant α-amylases such as the barley AMY1. AtAMY3 released small linear and branched glucans from Arabidopsis starch granules, and the proportion of branched glucans increased after the predigestion of starch with a β-amylase. Optimal rates of starch digestion in vitro was achieved when both AtAMY3 and β-amylase activities were present, suggesting that the two enzymes work synergistically at the granule surface. We also found that AtAMY3 has unique properties among other characterized plant α-amylases, with a pH optimum of 7.5-8, appropriate for activity in the chloroplast stroma. AtAMY3 is also redox-regulated, and the inactive oxidized form of AtAMY3 could be reactivated by reduced thioredoxins. Site-directed mutagenesis combined with mass spectrometry analysis showed that a disulfide bridge between Cys(499) and Cys(587) is central to this regulation. This work provides new insights into how α-amylase activity may be regulated in the chloroplast.

Do elevations in temperature, CO2, and nutrient availability modify belowground carbon gain and root morphology in artificially defoliated silver birch seedlings?

Climate warming increases the risk of insect defoliation in boreal forests. Losses in photosynthetically active surfaces cause reduction in net primary productivity and often compromise carbon reserves of trees. The concurrent effects of climate change and removal of foliage on root growth responses and carbohydrate dynamics are poorly understood, especially in tree seedlings. We investigated if exposures to different combinations of elevated temperature, CO2, and nutrient availability modify belowground carbon gain and root morphology in artificially defoliated 1-year-old silver birches (Betula pendula). We quantified nonstructural carbohydrates (insoluble starch as a storage compound; soluble sucrose, fructose, and glucose) singly and in combination in fine roots of plants under winter dormancy. Also the total mass, fine root proportion, water content, and length of roots were defined. We hypothesized that the measured properties are lower in defoliated birch seedlings that grow with ample resources than with scarce resources. On average, fertilization markedly decreased both the proportion and the carbohydrate concentrations of fine roots in all seedlings, whereas the effect of fertilization on root water content and dry mass was the opposite. However, defoliation mitigated the effect of fertilization on the root water content, as well as on the proportion of fine roots and their carbohydrate concentrations by reversing the outcomes. Elevation in temperature decreased and elevation in CO2 increased the absolute contents of total nonstructural carbohydrates, whereas fertilization alleviated both these effects. Also the root length and mass increased by CO2 elevation. This confirms that surplus carbon in birch tissues is used as a substrate for storage compounds and for cell wall synthesis. To conclude, our results indicate that some, but not all elements of climate change alter belowground carbon gain and root morphology in defoliated silver birch seedlings.