application note

Use of DSC for the Characterization of

Starches
W.J. Sichina
Introduction
The cooking, textural and digestive
properties of food products containing
starch, such as rice, wheat, barley and
potatoes, can be significantly affected by
the physical transformation known as
gelantinization. This refers to the
process by which a starch/water system
undergoes an order-disorder transition
during heating [1]. It is hypothesized
that the starch loses its crystallinity
during gelantinization.
Another important factor in the
cooking and digestibility properties of
starches is the fat/amylose complexes
found in the starch.
It is desired to have a means of
characterizing the gelantinization
process and the fat/amylose interactions
of starches, because of their known
impact on the cooking, digestive and • outstanding resolution prevent the loss of water from the
textural properties of food products • stable performance for reliable formulation during heating. The
containing starches. PerkinElmer DSC stainless steel sealed
and reproducible measurements
• power compensation design for sample pans are ideal for this purpose.
Solution rapid heating and cooling These pans have the additional valuable
Differential scanning calorimetry • unparalleled isothermal feature of holding a large volume of
performance for isothermal sample (60 µL), which is useful for starch
(DSC) is a very powerful tool for the
studies systems, as the transitions are inherently
study of starches given its high
• Dynamic DSC (DDSC) for the weak. The analysis of a larger mass
sensitivity and ease of use. For the
separation of overlapping short sample helps to make the small transitions
successful characterization of starches, it
term and long term (kinetic) more detectable.
is important to have a high performance
DSC instrument, as the critical thermal transitions Displayed in the figure below are
transitions associated with starches are • sealed DSC sample containers for representative DSC results obtained for
very weak and can be difficult to detect. the complete retention of water various starches containing about 20%, by
without rupturing or leakage weight, of starch in water.
The state of the art PerkinElmer • ease of use with Pyris Software
Pyris 1 DSC provides an ideal means of for Windows In the DSC results above, endothermic
characterizing the properties of starches peaks I and II, for the corn starch, are due
and foods as the instrument offers the To properly characterize the thermal to the resolved gelantinization and the
following important features: properties of starch - water melting of the fat/amylose complex,
formulations, the mixture needs to be respectively. The different starches each
• high sensitivity for the detection of analyzed in a sealed sample pan, to exhibited their own characteristic
very weak transitions
transitions during heating and the
temperature and the intensity of the
transitions are important parameters
indicative of the particular process
occurring with each of the starch
systems.
The DSC results obtained from
starches are useful for the development
of an enzyme resistance starch (RS) in
processed foods due to its possible
nutritional significance for dietary fiber
purposes [2,3,4]. The level of RS in
foods, such as pastas and breads, is
dependent upon the type of starch and
the particular processing or cooking
conditions [5]. It is believed that
different degrees of starch gelatinization,
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resulting from different processing fat/amylose complexes of starches. The
conditions, can affect the ultimate RS DSC results are useful for the better
content of the food products. understanding of the development of an
enzyme resistant (RS) starch.
Summary
References
DSC provides valuable
characterization information on [1] Hau Liu, John Lelievre and Wendy
starches, including cooking, textural and Ayoung-Chee, Carbohydrate Research,
digestive properties. The state of the art 210, 1991.
PerkinElmer Pyris 1 DSC is particularly [2] D. Sievert and Y. Pomeranz, Cereal
Chemistry, 67, 1990.
useful for the analyses of starches, given [3] L. Gruchala and Y. Pomeranz, Journal of
its high sensitivity, outstanding Food Science, 70, 1993.
resolution and the ability to seal large [4] Z. Chuchajowsk, D. Sievert and Y.
volumes of the starch - water Pomeranz, Cereal Chemistry, 68, 1991.
formulations in special DSC pans. DSC [5] J. Szczodrak and Y. Pomeranz, Cereal
can observe the gelatinization Chemistry, 69, 1992.
endotherm and the melting of the
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