Structural and Mechanical Characteristics of Potato Starch Granules during Gelatinization Process

Abstract

The gelatinization process of potato starch was investigated in terms of morphological and mechanical properties. The specimens were prepared as water suspensions, the concentration being 1, 3, and 6%, and they were heated up to indicated temperatures at three different kinds of heating rates, 7.0, 2.3 and 1.2°C/min. The collapse of starch granules was affected by both the original concentration and the heating rate. That is, maltefe cross under polarizing microscope and Hv light scattering pattern disappeared at lower heating temperature as the concentration and the heating rate became lower. Viscosity measured by B-type viscometer was close to a maximum value at the temperature which the degree of swelling of starch granules became maximum. In addition, the Hv light scattering pattern from a single starch granule showed that the four lobes were elongated in the direction perpendicular to long axis of an eTpsoidal particle and the scattering maxima characterizing the radial periodicity of pronounced layer appeared clearly at wide scattering angles.