EFFECT OF GERMINATION ON PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF LENTIL STARCH AND ITS COMPONENTS

The effect pf germination on starch composition and its physico-chemic al characteristics in Lens culinaris var. vulgaris have been investiga ted. Granular starch from raw and germinated lentils was isolated and characterized by its physico-chemical properties, morphology as demons trated in scanning photomicrographs, the microstructure of low-sheared starch suspensions (SO g/kg) heated at 70 and 90 degrees C, the amylo se:amylopectin ratio, and susceptibility to alpha-amylase hydrolysis. Physico-chemical methods, through their iodine binding capacity and th eir behaviour in aqueous solution, such as gelatinization, were rued i n the characterization of starch polysaccharides. Scanning electron mi croscopy indicated some alteration of the starch granule surface after germination, which resulted in higher resistance to temperature chang es. Raw and germinated lentil starch showed a gelatinization temperatu re of 70 degrees C. The ratio of amylose and amylopectin was 26:74 in raw starch and 24:76 in starch from germinated seeds The debranching o f amylopectin with isoamylase showed a bimodal distribution of fractio ns containing long and short chains, illustrating the relation between the molecular structure and the type C starches. The germination proc ess in lentil seeds has had little effect on either the properties of starch or irs components, brit enzymic hydrolysis of the raw and germi nated starch with porcine pancreas alpha-amylase showed that the diges tibility of starch was greatly improved with germination.