Effect of microwave treatment on the physicochemical properties of potato starch granules

BACKGROUND The degree of polymerization of amylose starch in potato was so large that the gel was hardness after gelatinization. Therefore, it is one of the most important ways that the microwave treatment was used to change the physicochemical properties of starch gel to make it suitable for the preparation of instant food. RESULTS The effect of microwave treatment on the physicochemical properties including morphology, crystalline structure, molecular weight distribution and rheological properties of potato starch granules was evaluated by treating time of varying duration (0, 5, 10, 15, 20 s) at 2450 MHz and 750 W. Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) of potato starch granules showed flaws or fractures on the surface after 5 to 10s of microwaving and collapse after 15 to 20 s. Polarized light microscopy (PLM) indicated that microwave treating damaged the crystalline structure of potato starch, such that the birefringence of starch granules gradually decreased after 5 to 10s and even disappeared after microwaving from 15 to 20 s. The molecular weight (Mw) values of potato starch and the proportion of large MW fraction were considerably reduced with increasing the microwave treating time from 0 to 20s. The molecular weight slowly decreased over 5 ~ 15 s microwave treating but decreased abruptly at the time of 20s microwave treating. The apparent viscosity decreased as shear rate increased and presented shear-thinning behavior. The magnitudes of the storage modulus (G') and loss modulus (G") obtained at each shear rate increased with duration of microwave treating from 0 to 15 s but decreased from 15 to 20 s. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrated that the morphology and crystalline structure was damaged by microwave treatment. The high molecular weight of potato starch above 2 × 10(8) Da was so sensitive to the vibrational motion of the polar molecules due to the application microwave energy and broke easily for longer dextran chains. The fracture of starch granules, molecular chains leached from the starch granules and degradation of dextran chains contributing to the development of rheological properties.