Gem-like starch granules engineered with different crystalline starches

Ruikang Lin; Xufeng Zang; Wenjie Zhang; Ying Tian; Yishan Fang

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.142548

Gem-like starch granules engineered with different crystalline starches

Food Chem. 2024 Dec 18:469:142548. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.142548. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Ruikang Lin¹, Xufeng Zang², Wenjie Zhang¹, Ying Tian¹, Yishan Fang³

Affiliations

¹ Huzhou Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage, School of Science, Huzhou University, Zhejiang, Huzhou 313000, China; School of Food Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Biobased Material and Green Papermaking, Qilu University of Technology, Shandong Academy of Sciences, Jinan 250353, China.
² Huzhou Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage, School of Science, Huzhou University, Zhejiang, Huzhou 313000, China. Electronic address: zangxufeng@zjhu.edu.cn.
³ School of Food Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Biobased Material and Green Papermaking, Qilu University of Technology, Shandong Academy of Sciences, Jinan 250353, China. Electronic address: fangysh123@qlu.edu.cn.

PMID: 39708643
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.142548

Abstract

The retrogradation property endows starch molecules with the unique ability to self-assemble crystals after encountering damage, which can restore the internal double helix structure to a limited extent. We devise a simple set of steps to grow perfect crystals of uniform size with different crystal systems in a given growth environment by first customizing the crystal seeds through enzymatic modification, and then exploiting the spontaneous recrystallization of starch. Optical microscopy confirmed the formation of gem-like starch granules (GSGs) in starches with 24.3 %-28.1 % amylose content, while no GSGs appeared in any of the other contents. FITR and XRD pattern revealed a shift in the double helix arrangement within the crystals, and the resultant change in starch crystal type from A-type to B-type provided theoretical support for the production of tetragonal, tetragonal, and hexagonal crystal systems. This work may provide a promising approach to the development of novel starch-based food/drug carriers.

Keywords: Crystal granules; Crystal transform; Starch.