Pasting and Rheological Properties of Starch Paste/Gels in a Sugar-Acid System

Abstract: This study was to investigate the impact of granule size, amylose content, and starch molecular characteristics on pasting and rheological properties of starch paste/gels in neutral (water) and sugar–acid systems. Normal rice starch (RS), waxy rice starch (WRS), normal tapioca starch (TS), and waxy tapioca starch (WTS) representing small-granule starches and intermediate-granule starches respectively, were used in the study. Impacts of granule size, AM content, and their synergistic effects resulted in different starch susceptibility to acid hydrolysis and interactions between starch and sucrose-water, yielding different paste viscosities in both systems. The high molecular weight (Mw) and linearity of amylopectin and amylose molecules increased the consistency of starch pastes. RS produced a stronger and more brittle gel than other starch gels in both neutral and sugar–acid systems. The results indicated the impact of the effect of granule size and amylose content on starch gel behaviors. Properties of waxy starch gels were mainly governed by amylopectin molecular characteristics, especially in the sugar–acid system. Adding sugar and acid had minor impacts on starch gel behaviors in the linear viscoelastic (LVE) region but were most evident in the nonlinear response regime of starch gels as shown in the Lissajous curves at large oscillatory strain.