Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 5, 2025

Determination of Glucan Chain Length Distribution of Glycogen Using the Fluorophore-Assisted Carbohydrate Electrophoresis FACE Method
Published on: March 31, 2022
Adjacent double branches exist in the branching structure of starch
Chihiro Honda1, Ayaka Kaneko2, Ryo Katsuta3
1Graduate School of Agriculture, Department of Fermentation Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 156-8502, Japan; Department of Nutritional Science and Food Safety, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 156-8502, Japan; Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, University of Shizuoka, 52-1 Yada, Suruga-ku, Shizuoka, 422-8526, Japan.
Abstract:
Starch is composed of two giant polymers of glucose-linked amylose and amylopectin but is not considered to have a branched structure with adjacent α-1,6-linkages (adjacent double branches). We previously discovered that the oligosaccharide DP6-1 contains adjacent double branches in sake, a Japanese rice wine. In this study, we analyzed the oligosaccharides generated from rice starch following porcine pancreatic α-amylase and glucoamylase digestion by hydrophilic interaction chromatography coupled with time-of-flight/mass spectrometry. We found that their elution times were identical to those of the oligosaccharides containing adjacent double branches observed in sake. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis confirmed that one of the oligosaccharides was identical to DP6-1. This indicates for the first time that adjacent double branches exist in the branching structure of starch. The adjacent double branches were estimated to be present at a ratio of approximately 1:100 of the total branching points in rice starch, suggesting that the contribution of the adjacent double branch to the entire structure of starch may be limited. Nonetheless, we found adjacent double branches in starch from rice, maize, wheat, and potato, which indicates that this novel branching pattern is universally present in starch.
Related Concept Videos
Chemistry of Carbohydrates
Polymer Classification: Architecture
Basic Plant Anatomy: Roots, Stems, and Leaves
Cellulose and Pectic Polysaccharides
As a cell matures, its cell wall specializes according to its type. For example, the...
Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Chain Branching
Sugars as Energy Storage Molecules

