MACROMOLECULAR FEATURES OF AMARANTH STARCH

High-performance size-exclusion chromatography (HPSEC), static light s cattering (SLS) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) techniques were use d for the structural characterization of amaranth starch, solubilized in water by microwave heating in a high-pressure vessel. Apparent aver age molar mass (M-w) gyration radius (R-G), and hydrodynamic radius (R -H) values were obtained from Berry and Zimm treatment of light-scatte ring data. When heating time increased from 35 to 90 sec, the M-w, R-G , and R-H decreased, demonstrating a possible polymer degradation due to temperature. Apparent M-r values from HPSEC at 35 sec (27 +/- 2 x 1 0(7) g/mol) and 50 sec (20 +/- 2 x 10(7) g/mol) were lower than those determined by SLS (35 sec = 69 x 10(7) g/mol, 50 sec = 56 x 10(7) g/mo l). However, at 70 and 90 sec, the inverse pattern was obtained. The f ractal dimensions (d(f)') from HPSEC study for samples dissolved for 3 5 (3.26), 50 (3.24), and 70 sec (3.14) are characteristic of a particl e that has the internal structure of hard sphere, and for samples diss olved for 90 sec (2.19), are characteristic of a fully swollen, random ly branched macromolecule. From SLS, d(f)' decreased with increasing t reatment time (d(f)' = 2.44, 2.18, 1.50, and 1.03 for 35, 50, 70, and 90 sec, respectively). The particle-scattering factors and Kratky plot s, well-suited for studying the internal structure of a macromolecule, showed a sample degradation when treatment time increased. Results fr om DLS showed bimodal distributions with differences in the peak locat ions when treatment time increased. The ratio of R-G to R-H (rho) for samples analyzed were between 0.88 and 1.3; these values are character istic of a sphere or globular structure.