INTRODUCTION

Starch is a raw material with a wide field of applications ranging from imparting texture
and consistency in foods to the manufacture of paper, adhesives and biodegradable
packaging (ZHAO; WHISTLER, 1994). Because starch is the polysaccharide most used as
a functional ingredient (thickener, stabilizer and gelling agent) in the food industry, it is
necessary to look for new sources of extraction, since with a global production of 48.5
million tons/year (FAOSTAT, 2001), there is an unsatisfied demand for it.
Of the calories consumed by humans, about 70 to 80% come from starch. It is the main
source of energy storage in vegetables, since it is found in large quantities in various
varieties of plants, such as, for example, in cereal grains, which contain between 60 and
75% of their dry weight of Starch, as well as, can be found in tubers, legume seeds and in
some fruits, and its concentration varies with their state of maturity (THOMAS; ATWELL,
1999).
Structurally, starch consists of two chemically distinguishable polysaccharides: amylose
and amylopectin. Amylose is a linear polymer of glucose units linked by α(1-4) bonds, in
which some α(1-6) bonds may be present. This molecule is not soluble in water, but it can

form hydrated micelles due to its ability to link neighboring molecules through hydrogen
bonds and generate a helical structure that is capable of developing a blue color due to the
formation of a complex with iodine (KNUTZON; GROVE , 1994). While amylopectin is a
branched polymer of glucose units linked 94-96% by α (1-4) bonds and 4-6% with α (1-6)
bonds. These branches are located approximately every 15-25 glucose units. Amylopectin
is partially soluble in hot water and in the presence of iodine produces a reddish violet color
(GUAN; HANNA, 2004).
The fundamental characteristic of native starches from different plant species is that their
physicochemical and functional properties will be influenced by their granular and
molecular structures (WANG; WHITE, 1994a). The most important properties to consider
to determine the use of starch in food production and other industrial applications include
physicochemical properties: gelatinization and retrogradation; and the functional ones:
solubility, swelling, water absorption, syneresis and rheological behavior of their pastes and
gels (WANG; WHITE, 1994b).
Starch granules are found in a semicrystalline polymeric system, where crystallinity varies
from 15 to 45%, and is attributed to the short linear chains of amylopectin, which form
double helices organized in a three-dimensional crystalline structure (ZOBEL, 1988;
EERLINGEN ; DELCOUR, 1995). During the gelatinization process, the molecular order
within the granules is gradually and irreversibly destroyed, which is why the gelatinization
temperature is characteristic for each type of starch and depends fundamentally on the glass
transition of the amorphous fraction of starch (EERLINGEN; DELCOUR, nineteen ninety
five). Some events occur during the process: molecular order, and therefore birefringence,
is lost; The granules lose their crystallinity, absorb a large amount of water, causing
swelling and an increase in their volume. Some molecules are solubilized, particularly
amylose, which diffuses into the water and, if heating continues, they break down and
partial solubilization is observed. This entire process is endothermic, requiring
approximately 10 mJ.mg–1 of starch to carry it out, as studies with Differential Scanning
Calorimetry (DSC) have demonstrated (BILIADERIS, 1992).