Starch retrogradation is a process in which disaggregated amylose and amylopectin chains in a gelatinized starch paste reassociate to form more ordered structures. Starch retrogradation has been the subject of intensive research over the last 50 years, mainly due to its detrimental effect on the sensory and storage qualities of many starchy foods. However, starch retrogadation is desirable for some starchy food products in terms of textural and nutritional properties. To better understand the effect of starch retrogradation on the quality of starchy foods, measurement methods of starch retrogradation and factors that influence starch retrogradation have been studied extensively. This article provides a comprehensive review of starch retrogradation including the definition of the process, molecular mechanisms of how it occurs, and measurement methods and factors that influence starch retrogradation. The review also discusses the effect of retrogradation on the in vitro enzyme digestibility of starch. Spectroscopic methods such as FTIR and Raman are considered to be very promising in characterizing starch retrogradation at a molecular level, although more studies are needed in the future.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1541-4337.12143

Starch retrogradation: a comprehensive review

Carrageenans: biological properties, chemical modifications and structural analysis - a review.

Pasting, paste, and gel properties of starch–hydrocolloid combinations

Rice starch is one of the major cereal starches with novel functional properties. Significant progress has been made in recent years on the characterization of rice starches separated from different rice cultivars. Studies have revealed that the molecular structure and functional properties are affected by rice germplasm, isolation procedure, climate, agronomic conditions, and grain development. Morphological studies (microscopy and particle size analysis) have reflected significant differences among rice starch granule shapes (polyhedral, irregular) and in granule size (2 to 7 μm). Nonwaxy and long-grain rice starches show greater variation in granular size than the waxy starches. Rice starch granules are smaller than other cereal starches with amylose contents varying from virtually amylose-free in waxy to about 35% in nonwaxy and long-grain rice starches. Amylose content appears to be the major factor controlling almost all physicochemical properties of rice starch due to its influence on pasting, gelatinization, retrogradation, syneresis, and other functional properties. Waxy rice starches have high swelling and solubility parameters, and larger relative crystallinity values than nonwaxy and long-grain starches. However, nonwaxy rice starches have a higher gelatinization temperature than the waxy and long-grain starches. The bland taste, nonallergenicity, and smooth, creamy, and spreadable characteristics of rice starch make it unique and valuable in food and pharmaceutical applications. This review provides recent information on the variation in the molecular structure and functional properties of different rice starches.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1541-4337.2012.00193.x

Rice Starch Diversity: Effects on Structural, Morphological, Thermal, and Physicochemical Properties—A Review

Natural and modified polysaccharides are promising vehicles for nano- and micro-encapsulation of active food ingredients. This article reviews the state of the art of carbohydrate-based delivery systems for utilization in the food, pharmaceutical and other industries. Initially, an overview of the different kinds of carbohydrates used to assemble delivery systems is given, including starch, cellulose, pectin, guar gum, chitosan, alginate, dextrin, cyclodextrins, new sources of native gums, and their combinations and chemically modified forms. Their molecular and physicochemical properties, functional performance, and advantages and disadvantages for encapsulation are given. Various approaches for fabrication of carbohydrate-based delivery systems are then discussed, including coacervation, spray drying, electrospinning, electrospray, supercritical fluid, emulsion–diffusion, reverse micelle, emulsion-droplet coalescence, emulsification/solvent evaporation, salting-out, ultrasonication and high pressure homogenization. The biological fate of carbohydrate nanocarriers during digestion, absorption, metabolism and excretion are discussed, and some notes about their bioavailability and potential toxicity are provided. Finally, the functional performances of different carbohydrate-based delivery systems are discussed, and future developments are highlighted.

Nanoencapsulation of food ingredients using carbohydrate based delivery systems

Effects of non-ionic polysaccharides on the gelatinization and retrogradation behavior of wheat starch

Food hydrocolloids control the gelatinization and retrogradation behavior of starch. 2b. Functions of guar gums with different molecular weights on the retrogradation behavior of corn starch

Degraded carrageenan (known as poligeenan, molecular weight: 20kDa to 30kDa) causes ulcerative colitis in experimental animals. In this paper, the molecular weight distributions of 29 samples of food-grade refined carrageenans were studied by high performance liquid gel permeation chromatography (GPC) directly connected to vacuum-ultraviolet inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP) (GPC/ICP) as well as GPC/refractive index (RI) detection. All samples of food-grade carrageenan had a major broad peak of high molecular weight which eluted at around 6.5min in both RI and ICP mode (sulphur and carbon), and each sample of them had no obvious peak of poligeenan (the detection limit was about 5%). The number average molecular weights of these carrageenans ranged from 193 kDa to 324kDa, and the weight average molecular weights ranged from 453kDa to 652kDa based on RI data. Some samples had a few minor peaks which eluted around 10–12min. These peaks came from ionic sulphate, sucrose or glucose....

Yasunori Goto

Papers

Effects of non-ionic polysaccharides on the gelatinization and retrogradation behavior of wheat starch

Food hydrocolloids control the gelatinization and retrogradation behavior of starch. 2b. Functions of guar gums with different molecular weights on the retrogradation behavior of corn starch

Molecular weight distribution of carrageenans studied by a combined gel permeation/inductively coupled plasma (GPC/ICP) method.