Influence of extrusion and digestion on the nanostructure of high-amylose maize starch

Biomacromolecules. 2007 May;8(5):1564-72. doi: 10.1021/bm061124s. Epub 2007 Mar 30.

Abstract

An in-depth characterization of the structural changes undergone by high-amylose starch after extrusion and digestion with a pancreatic alpha-amylase has been carried out. The combination of USAXS, SAXS, XRD, and SEM techniques has provided a wide "picture" of the morphological transformations of starch, covering a length scale from approximately 0.3 nm to approximately 230 microm. Depending on the extrusion conditions, either gelatinization was attained ("mild" conditions) or single-amylose helix formation was induced ("extreme" conditions). SAXS experiments demonstrated that upon contacting the extruded materials with water, retrogradation took place. A new type of molecular organization with a characteristic repeat length of 5 nm was observed in the dry resistant starch fractions from the extruded high-amylose starch. The crystalline morphology of the resistant starch fractions, as observed by XRD, varied from B-type crystallinity for the "mild" extruded starch to a mixture of C- and V-type crystallinity in the case of "extreme" extrusion.

MeSH terms

  • Amylose / analysis*
  • Crystallography
  • Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
  • Nanostructures*
  • Starch / chemistry*
  • Starch / ultrastructure*
  • X-Ray Diffraction
  • Zea mays / enzymology*

Substances

  • Starch
  • Amylose