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Updated: Jul 2, 2026
Analysis and Specification of Starch Granule Size Distributions
Published on: March 4, 2021
Size, shape and surface morphology of starch granules from Norway spruce needles revealed by transmission electron
Jana Cabálková1, Jan Pribyl, Petr Skládal
1Institute of Analytical Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v. v. i., Department of Proteomics and Glycomics, Veverí 97, Brno, CZ-602 00, Czech Republic. cabalkova@iach.cz
Abstract:
We compared the effects of ambient (350 ppm) and elevated CO(2) concentration (700 ppm) on the size and shape of starch granules in Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) needles during one growing season. Starch granules were isolated from needles by alkaline digestion and analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Measurements made with a particle size analyzer indicated that starch granules ranged between 0.5 and 10 microm. Granule size and shape varied according to needle developmental stage and CO(2) concentration. Generally, elevated CO(2) concentration increased the size of the starch granules. Fine surface structures (< 10 nm in size) studied by AFM were characterized by the presence of protrusions, furrows and pores.
