Effect of high hydrostatic pressure and retrogradation treatments on structural and physicochemical properties of waxy wheat starch.

In this study, the effects of high hydrostatic pressure and retrogradation (HHPR) treatments on in vitro digestibility, structural and physicochemical properties of waxy wheat starch were investigated. The waxy wheat starch slurries (10%, w/v) were treated with high hydrostatic pressures of 300, 400, 500, 600MPa at 20°C for 30min, respectively, and then retrograded at 4°C for 4d. The results indicated that the content of slowly digestible starch (SDS) in HHPR-treated starch samples increased with increasing pressure level, and it reached the maximum (31.12%) at 600MPa. HHPR treatment decreased the gelatinization temperatures, the gelatinization enthalpy, the relative crystallinity and the peak viscosity of the starch samples. Moreover, HHPR treatment destroyed the surface and interior structures of starch granules. These results suggest that the in vitro digestibility, physicochemical, and structural properties of waxy wheat starch are effectively modified by HHPR.

Effect of fatty acids on functional properties of normal wheat and waxy wheat starches: A structural basis.

The effects of three saturated fatty acids on functional properties of normal wheat and waxy wheat starches were investigated. The complexing index (CI) of normal wheat starch-fatty acid complexes decreased with increasing carbon chain length. In contrast, waxy wheat starch-fatty acid complexes presented much lower CI. V-type crystalline polymorphs were formed between normal wheat starch and three fatty acids, with shorter chain fatty acids producing more crystalline structure. FTIR and Raman spectroscopy presented the similar results with XRD. The formation of amylose-fatty acid complex inhibited granule swelling, gelatinization progression, retrogradation and pasting development of normal wheat starch, with longer chain fatty acids showing greater inhibition. Amylopectin can also form complexes with fatty acids, but the amount of complex was too little to be detected by XRD, FTIR, Raman and DSC. As a consequence, small changes were observed in the functional properties of waxy wheat starch with the addition of fatty acids.

Effects of continuous and intermittent retrogradation treatments on in vitro digestibility and structural properties of waxy wheat starch.

The effects of continuous retrogradation (CR) and intermittent retrogradation (IR) treatments under 4 °C and 25 °C or temperature-cycled condition of 4/25 °C on the digestibility and structural properties of waxy wheat starch were investigated. The results indicated that IR treatment under temperature cycles of 4/25 °C (IR-4/25) was more beneficial to the formation of slowly digestible starch (SDS, 42.24%). Moreover, the gelatinisation enthalpy of IR-4/25-treated starch sample was lower than that of CR-4/25-treated sample. Variation in infrared absorbance ratio of 1047 cm(-1)/1022 cm(-1) of IR-treated starch samples was consistent with relative crystallinity. Through retrogradation treatment under 4/25 °C or 4 °C, starch samples exhibited X-ray diffraction pattern of B-type, while CR-25 and IR-25-treated samples showed a mixed A+B type pattern. Besides, the swelling power of CR-4/25-treated starch sample was higher than that of IR-4/25-treated sample. The pasting temperatures of IR-treated starch samples were higher than those of the CR-treated samples.

Molecular order and functional properties of starches from three waxy wheat varieties grown in China.

Molecular order and functional properties of starch from three waxy wheat varieties grown in China were investigated by a combination of various technical analyses. The total starch content of the waxy wheat ranged between 54.1% and 55.0%, and the amylose content of the starch was between 0.71% and 1.63%. Average particle diameter of the three starches varied between 16.5 and 17.4 µm. Three waxy wheat starches presented the typical A-type X-ray diffraction pattern, with relative crystallinity between 38.7% and 40.0%. No significant differences were observed in relative crystallinity, IR ratios of 1047/1022 cm(-1) and 1022/995 cm(-1), and FWHH of the band at 480 cm(-1), indicating the similarity in long-range order of crystallites and short-range order of double helices of three starch granules. Small differences were observed in swelling power, gelatinization parameters, pasting viscosities, and in vitro enzymatic digestibility of three waxy wheat starches. Under the stored condition, no retrogradation occurred for three waxy wheat starches.

Effect of single-, dual-, and triple-retrogradation treatments on in vitro digestibility and structural characteristics of waxy wheat starch.

The effects of single-retrogradation (SR), dual-retrogradation (DR) and triple-retrogradation (TR) treatments on in vitro digestibility and structural characteristics of waxy wheat starch were investigated. The yield of slowly digestible starch in a DR-treated starch with retrogradation time interval of 48 h reached a maximum of 44.41%. The gelatinization temperature range and gelatinization enthalpy of DR-treated starch samples were the lowest. Moreover, compared with native starch, X-ray diffraction patterns of treated starches were altered from A-type to B-type and relative crystallinity was significantly decreased, which was responsible for the interaction between amylose-amylose and/or amylose-amylopectin chains that may generate more imperfect structures. Scanning electron micrographs revealed that compared with SR-treated and TR-treated starches, the surface of DR-treated starch with a retrogradation time interval of 48 h exhibited a net-like structure with numerous cavities. These results suggest that structural changes of waxy wheat starch by cycled retrogradation treatment significantly affect digestibility, and DR treatment can be used for preparing SDS product.

Morphological features and physicochemical properties of waxy wheat starch.

Morphological features, granule composition, and physicochemical properties of waxy wheat starch were compared with those of normal wheat starch. The morphologies and granule populations were found to be similar for the two starches. However, waxy wheat starch contained a smaller proportion of B-type granules, had a larger average granule diameter, and a higher degree of crystallinity than normal wheat starch, as measured by particle size analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. These differences resulted in a higher gelatinization temperature, transition enthalpy, peak viscosity, breakdown, swelling power, lower peak viscosity temperature and final viscosity in waxy wheat starch. These points suggest that waxy wheat starch should have greater resistance to retrogradation during cooling and higher water-holding capacity under dry conditions. Highlighting the differences in physicochemical properties of waxy and normal wheat starches should help point toward effective applications of waxy wheat starch in the food industry.