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Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Protein Crystallization for X-ray Crystallography
Published on: January 17, 2011
Amylose crystallization from concentrated aqueous solution
John A Creek1, Gregory R Ziegler, James Runt
1The Pennsylvania State University, 116 Borland Lab, University Park, 16801, USA.
Abstract:
Maize amylose, separated from granular starch by means of an aqueous leaching process, was used to investigate spherulite formation from concentrated mixtures of starch in water. Amylose (10-20%, w/w) was found to form a spherulitic semicrystalline morphology over a wide range of cooling rates (1-250 degrees C/min), provided it was first heated to >170 degrees C. This is explained through the effect of temperature on chain conformation. A maximum quench temperature of approximately 70 degrees C was required to produce spherulitic morphology. Quench temperatures between 70 and 110 degrees C produced a gel-like morphology. This is explained on the basis of the relative kinetics of liquid-liquid phase separation vis-à-vis crystallization. The possibility of the presence of a liquid crystalline phase affecting the process of spherulite formation is discussed.
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