Limiting factors of starch hydrolysis

Foods appear as complex structures, in which starch may be present in different forms. These, including the molecular characteristics and the crystalline organization, depend on processing conditions and compositions of ingredients. The main changes in starch macro- and microstructures are the increase of surface area to volume ratio in the solid phase, the modification of the crystallinity as affected by gelatinization and gelation, and the depolymerization of amylose and amylopectin. Starch modification may be estimated by different methodologies, which should be selected according to the level of structure considered. When amylose and amylopectin are in solution, rapid and total hydrolysis leads to the formation of a mixture of linear oligosaccharides and branched alpha-limit dextrins. However, starch usually occurs in foods as solid structures. Structural factors of starchy materials influence their enzymic hydrolysis. A better understanding of the enzymatic process enables the identification of the structural factors limiting hydrolysis: diffusion of enzyme molecules, porosity of solid substrates, adsorption of enzymes onto solid substrates, and the catalytic event. A mechanistic modelling should be possible in the future.