The effect of NaCl on the formation of starch-lipid complexes

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of NaCl on the formation, structure and property of samples formed from wheat starch (WS) and the fatty acids (lauric acid (LA), myristic acid (MA), palmitic acid (PA) and stearic acid (SA)). Results from RVA, DSC, XRD and Raman analyses showed that LA, and to a lesser extent MA, formed complexes with WS. Under the experimental conditions used, only minor amounts of WS-PA and WS-SA complexes formed. The low solubility of PA and SA, and to some extent MA, in water caused these fatty acids to mostly self-aggregate. The presence of NaCl promoted the formation of WS-LA complexes and, to a lesser extent complexes with MA, but had little effect on the formation of WS-PA and WS-SA complexes. Solubility of fatty acids in aqueous medium was proposed to be a major factor for the formation of starch-fatty acid complexes.