Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 8, 2026

Analysis and Specification of Starch Granule Size Distributions
Published on: March 4, 2021
Scanning probe acoustic microscopy of extruded starch materials: direct visual evidence of starch crystal
Zhongdong Liu1, Boxiang Liu, Mengxing Li
1College of Food Science and Technology, Henan University of Technology, South Songshan Road 140#, Zhengzhou 450052, PR China. liuzhongdong@haut.edu.cn
Abstract:
Scanning probe acoustic microscopy (SPAM) has been successfully used to study inorganic and keratin biomaterials. However, few studies have attempted to apply SPAM to structural study of non-keratin organic materials such as starch based materials. This study investigated hardness and surface finish to establish sample preparation method suitable for SPAM imaging and acquired clear acoustic images of extruded starch materials. Acquired acoustic images directly exhibited certain structure of starch materials and provided visual evidence of starch material components and aggregates. In addition, through correlating acoustic images with X-ray diffraction data, crystal-structural information in nano-scale was obtained and acoustic image contrast showed a linear relationship with starch amylose content in extruded starch materials.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Overview of Microscopy Techniques
Atomic Force Microscopy
The AFM Probe
The probe is regarded as the heart of any AFM setup and comprises the...
X-ray Diffraction of Biological Samples
According to Bragg's law, when X-rays strike the sample positioned on a stage, the rays are scattered by the electron clouds around the sample atoms. The X-ray diffraction or scattering is caused by constructive interference of the X-ray waves that reflect off the internal crystal...

