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Updated: May 18, 2026

Analysis and Specification of Starch Granule Size Distributions
Published on: March 4, 2021
Structure and properties of maize starch processed with a combination of α-amylase and pullulanase
Huanxin Zhang1, Yaoqi Tian, Yuxiang Bai
1The State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi 214122, China. hxinzh@hotmail.com
Abstract:
The dissolution and digestion characteristics of maize starch processed with a combination of α-amylase and pullulanase (ERS) were investigated. The results were compared with those of high pressure-processed RS (HRS) and regular maize starch. The ERS exhibited a considerably lower dissolution and digestibility than the HRS under conditions that simulated the stomach and small intestine in vitro. Infrared spectroscopy showed two bands at 1047 and 1002 cm(-1) for ERS, which suggested an easily produced RS during the retrogradation process after enzymatic treatment. High-performance size-exclusion chromatography showed a hydrolyzed ERS forming a critical molecular weight fraction (MW 4833 Da; DP 29.8). X-ray diffraction analysis also revealed a significant difference between the types of HRS (B+V type) and ERS (in the transformation from B+V to V type) crystallinities, and the crystal structure change leads to improved anti-enzymatic properties of ERS. These results indicate that the enzyme-combined method is a more promising technique than high pressure to prepare RS from maize starch with greater resistance.
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