Improving the quality attributes of potato starch gel through combined pre-drying and short-term retrogradation

To circumvent the health risks associated with traditional alum in potato starch noodles, this study applied physical modification of potato starch gels through moisture regulation (10%-60%) combined with short-term retrogradation (12h). Results showed that the gel with 30% moisture content after retrogradation formed a uniform and dense honeycomb network, with tensile strain and stress reaching 640% and 130 kPa, respectively, representing increases of 39% and 271% compared to the untreated sample. XRD analysis indicated that the treatment increased gel crystallinity from 1.96% to 13.68%, raised the short-range order degree (R₁₀₄₇/₁₀₂₂) from 0.5040 to 0.5806, and significantly strengthened intermolecular hydrogen bonding. DSC results demonstrated that the gel achieved the highest gelatinization melting enthalpy (ΔH = 3.10 J·g^-1), confirming a substantial enhancement in the thermal stability of its network structure. This study provides both theoretical and technical support for developing safe and high-quality potato starch-based food colloids.