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Updated: Mar 22, 2026

Analysis and Specification of Starch Granule Size Distributions
Published on: March 4, 2021
Shape-memory effect in amorphous potato starch: The influence of local orders and paracrystallinity
Chloé Chevigny1, Loïc Foucat1, Agnès Rolland-Sabaté1
1INRA, UR1268 Biopolymères Interactions Assemblages, Rue de la Géraudière, 44316 Nantes, France.
Abstract:
In this paper, a detailed characterization of the mechanisms at the origin of the shape-memory effect in amorphous potato starch is presented. Using different treatments (annealing) and preparation methods (hot casting and extrusion), the local structures responsible for the shape-memory were disrupted, as evidenced in the first part of the article detailing the macroscopic properties: mechanical, calorimetric and shape-memory. In the second part the macromolecular scale is investigated using X-rays diffraction and CP-MAS NMR, and thus allows making the link between the structural differences and the macroscopic properties. Finally we discuss the origin of shape-memory in amorphous starch.
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