Starch Particle Size Distribution Research Articles

Elucidating the influence and mechanism of different phenols on the properties, food quality and function of maize starch

This study discusses interaction differences between three phenols (protocatechuic acid, naringin and tannic acid) and starch helix, investigates influences of phenols at different doses on properties of maize starch, and further determines their effects on quality and function of maize-starchy foods. Simulated results indicate variations of phenolic structure (phenolic hydroxyl group amount, glycoside structure and steric hindrance) and dose induce phenols form different complexes with starch helix. Formation of different starch-phenols complexes alters gelatinization (1.65–5.63 J/g), pasting form, water binding capacity (8.83–12.69 g/g) and particle size distribution of starch. Meanwhile, differences in starch-phenols complexes are reflected in fingerprint area (R1045/1022: 0.920 to 1.047), crystallinity (8.3% to 17.0%), rheology and gel structure of starch. Additionally, phenols change texture and color of cold maize cake, giving them different antioxidant capacity and lower digestibility. Findings are beneficial for understanding interaction between starch and different phenols and their potential application.

Investigating the evolution of the fine structure in cassava starch during growth and its correlation with gelatinization performance

The evolution of the starch fine structure during growth and its impact on the gelatinization behavior of cassava starch (CS) was investigated by isolating starch from South China 6068 (SC6068) cassava harvested from the 4th to 9th growth period. During growth, the short-range ordered structure, crystallinity as well as particle size distribution of starch were increased. Meanwhile, the starch molecular size and amylopectin (AP) proportion increased, while the proportion of amylose (AM) exhibited a decreasing tendency. The chains of short-AM (X ~ 100–1000) were mainly significantly reduced, whereas the short and medium-AP chains (X ~ 6–24) had the most increment in AP. The solubility, thermal stability, shear resistance, and retrogradation resistance of starch were enhanced after gelatinized under the influence of the results mentioned above. This study presented a deeper insight into the variation of starch fine structure during growth and its influence on gelatinization behavior, which would provide a theoretical basis for starch industrial applications.

Study of flash pyrolysis and combustion of biomass powders using the Godbert-Greenwald furnace: An essential step to better understand organic dust explosions

An organic dust explosion is a heterogeneous system on a space and time scale. Predicting the parameters characteristic of its severity needs experimental and theoretical approaches to find the optimal compromise between consistency with reality and modelling time. A hybrid method is proposed to study flash pyrolysis and combustion of several organic powders (cellulose, wheat starch, oak wood, Douglas fir and olive pomace). A Godbert-Greenwald furnace was employed to perform the experiments to mimic the fundamental characteristics of a dust explosion: high particle heating rate, high reaction temperature and short residence times. At 973 K, the residence time is a critical parameter: the large particles of cellulosic compounds (wood, cellulose) do not reach their pyrolysis temperature and only fibres smaller than 20 or 30 µm are fully converted. As the particle size distribution of starch is smaller, heat transfer is not directly the limiting phenomenon but rather the strong tendency for powders to agglomerate during pyrolysis. At higher temperatures, secondary reactions of primary tars are evidenced, stressing the influence of the pyrolysis stage and leading to heterogeneous combustion. The composition of the pyrolysis gases as a function of the nature of the powder and the temperature was also determined. A lumped-kinetic model adapted to dust explosion was developed and validated for cellulose. The kinetics constants corresponding to levoglucosan to permanent gases and cellulose to char and water reactions are significantly different from those proposed by the literature, demonstrating that dust explosion kinetic parameters must be obtained under conditions consistent with such phenomenon.

Structural and physicochemical properties of lotus seed starch-chlorogenic acid complexes prepared by microwave irradiation.

Lotus seed (LS) has a high starch content and possesses many useful functional properties, which are mainly attributed to its phenolic compound content. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of microwave irradiation (MW) treatment on the structural and physicochemical properties of a lotus seed starch-chlorogenic acid (CA) blend. MW treatment appeared to promote the formation of LS-CA complexes and the modified starch displayed more rougher structures than native starch. The particle size distribution of starch remained approximately constant when the microwave power was 200W, but increased sharply with further increases in microwave power; a similar trend was observed in the swelling and solubility of starch. XRD and FT-IR spectra show that MW treatment degraded the ordered crystalline structure of starch, facilitating exposure of the starch chains originally buried in the crystalline and amorphous regions within the grains. During this treatment, CA interacted with starch molecules by hydrogen bonding and form a LS-CA complex, which inhibited the self-assembly process of starch chains. These findings demonstrated the potential use of MW treatment in controlling the storage and processing quality of lotus seed, or other starchy foods rich in polyphenols.

Genetics of wheat starch B-granule content.

Two lines of hexaploid wheat were crossed and the basic generations of parent, F1, F2 and back-cross were sown in a controlled-environment chamber. FreshF1 and back-cross grains were generated, so the material could be handled either as the standard set of basic generations on a whole-plant basis, or as an extended set on an embryo or endosperm basis. The experiment was repeated. Mature grains were harvested and the starch particle size distribution was analysed in 3284 grains from 111 plants. Means and variances were partitioned into additive, dominance and interaction components. Grains from cross-pollinations had B-granule contents between parental values, rather than of the maternal parent, indicating an involvement of the grain genotype. Quantitative models based on endosperm genotype gave a better fit to the data than those based on embryo genotype. The difference in starch B-granule content between the parents was largely due to additive genes. Dominant genes were also indicated, with the first dose in the triploid endosperm having a large effect while the second dose had little or none. Non-allelic interactions were significant in the second experiment where the use of more types of backcross made them more detectable. There were also small and significant residual effects of the maternal plant in the first experiment, attributed to the vigour of the F1 mother plant and to the cytoplasm of Sunco. Narrow-sense heritability was low, between 0.05and 0.18 depending on the generation. Transgressive segregation was not found, suggesting that all alleles tending to increase the B-granule content were found in the Sunco parent and none in ME71. There was also no detectable heterosis in this character. The results show that breeding and selection for a low B-granule content should be possible but a further reduction will require new and complementary genes.