THERMAL AND CRYSTALLINE PROPERTIES OF WAXY WHEAT (TRITICUM-AESTIVUM L.) STARCH

The physico-chemical properties of starch granules derived from waxy w heat were examined using spectrophotometry of their starch-iodine comp lexes, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction. DSC data showed a strong correlation between peak temperature and the enthalpy change for starch gelatinization for all samples; likewise, X -ray diffraction data also correlated with these gelatinization parame ters. On the other hand there were no differences in the mean value of the diameter of starch granules between samples. It was concluded tha t the thermal properties of waxy wheat starch are adequately explained by its crystallinity. (C) 1998 Academic Press Limited.