Improved Gelatinization Behavior of Tapioca Starch by Compounding with Amino Acids

Abstract

Twenty kinds of amino acid-compounded starches were prepared by autoclaving the starch and amino acid mixture with limited water content through the Maillard reaction. Compounding with amino acids such as monosodium glutamate and lysine, having a negative or positive net charge, respectively, resulted in a marked increase in the gelatinization temperature, and great decreases in viscosity and swelling as compared with amino acids having no net charge. The pastes of the charged amino acid-compounded starches exhibited easy vaporization of water similar to that of free water resulting from the presence of swollen starch granules, whereas water in the gels of the charged amino acid-compounded starches had markedly shorter transverse relaxation time (T₂) than the other gels, contributing to the improvement of starchy foods with a dry texture.