Some physicochemical properties of amylose-free potato starch

In this paper some physico-chemical characteristics of amylose-free potato starch are described and compared to those from amylose containing potato starches. The availability of these high-amylopectin or amylose-free starches has opened up new possibilities to assess the relationship between structural characteristics and physicochemical properties of potato starch. At the same time it should be possible to determine more precisely the role of the amylose in the starch on several properties and characteristics. In all different analyses it was clear that amylose-free starch displayed unique properties. Not only was the response to heating much faster; it also occurred at much higher temperatures as demonstrated by viscographs, differential scanning calorimetry and swelling experiments. Rheological analyses demonstrated that gels formed from amylose-free starch were less rigid, smoother and shorter. The breaking of amylose-free gels furthermore required much less strength than that of amylose-containing gels. This aspect was also evident when threads were made from both starches; amylose-free threads were much shorter before breaking than threads made from amylose-containing starch.