Morphological characteristics of starch granules of Eastern and Central European potato varieties (Solanum Tuberosum)

Introduction. Studies have been conducted to determine the effect of the size of starch granules on the quality of starch obtained from Eastern and Central European potato varieties. Materials and methods. The object of study is native potato starch, produced according on technical regulatory legal acts from 15 potato varieties Belarusian, of Russian, of Ukrainian and of German selection. The morphological structure of starch granules was evaluated on a LEO 1420 scanning electron microscope. The contrast of the images was achieved by the metallization of preparations made with gold in the EMITECH K 550X vacuum system. Results and its discussion. Grains of native starch obtained from Eastern and Central European potato varieties vary significantly in both shape and size, which, to a large extent, apparently, determine the technological features of starch production. It is noticed that, depending on the selection of Belarusian, German, Russian, Ukrainian, the size of the grains of native potato starch of Eastern and Central European varieties of potatoes varies within: 5-90,26; 8,38-83,47; 5,3-88,7; 12,36-70 microns, respectively. The highest starch content in grains obtained from Eastern and Central European potato varieties was found in the German selection variety "Kormoran" - 23%. Among the varieties under consideration, it is he who has the highest starchiness, but at the same time small starch granules (the average size of the granules is 24,0 microns). Lowest starch content in grains derived from Eastern and Central European potato varieties was the lowest in the Russian "Krepysh" variety, 11,1%, with an average granule size of 30,1 microns. On this basis, it can be assumed that with a larger average size of starch grains the starch content decreases, and with a smaller average size, the percentage of starch content increases. According to our results, as well as well-known data, starch grains have an oval, spherical or irregular shape, their diameter varies between 0,001-0,2 mm. Starch grains are divided into simple and complex: simple grains are homogeneous formations; complex - a combination of smaller particles. The density of starch is on average 1,5 kg/m(3). Based on the analysis of the characteristics of the structure of native starch, it can be assumed that the main structural characteristic of the structure of native starch, determining its properties, is starch grain (granule). Conclusion. The morphological structure of native starch granules depends on the type of potato and can vary widely: from 5-7 microns to 80-90 microns, which affects the quality of the starch produced.