Characterization of the baking-induced changes in starch molecular and crystalline structures in sugar-snap cookies

This study aims to understand the starch molecular structural changes from baking sugar-snap cookies. Changes in the whole-molecule size distribution and chain-length distribution of the parent wheat flour and from final cookie products were measured by size-exclusion chromatography with and without enzymatic debranching, and the results fitted by two biosynthesis-based models. Fraction crystallinity was also analyzed. After cooking, there was a significant decrease in average molecular sizes of amylopectin and in the average lengths of amylose chains, and some starch granules lost birefringence. However, the chain-length distributions of amylopectin showed no noticeable difference, resulting in little change in relative crystallinity and gelatinization temperatures. Both the short-range ordered structure and the periodic lamellar structure were disrupted. This study provides new insight into starch structural changes in sugar-snap cookies after baking, which play an important role in determining final cookie quality. For example, a decrease in size of amylose chains influences cookie sensory properties, and thus can be used as an additional tool for choice of grains.