RAMAN-SPECTROSCOPIC DETERMINATION OF THE PERCENT OF ACETYLATION IN MODIFIED WHEAT-STARCH

Raman spectroscopy was developed as an analytical method for rapid det ermination of the degree of acetylation in chemically modified wheat s tarches. The carbon oxygen double bond stretch Raman peak (similar to 1732 cm(-1)) of the modified wheat starches showed a linear relationsh ip with acetylation over the range of 0 to 3.5% as determined from cal ibration plots with the standard titrimetric method currently used to measure acetylation of modified starches. The Raman spectroscopic meth od allows much faster determination of the degree of acetylation, is n ondestructive, and has less problems with interference from impurities than currently used methods.