FOOD. Science. Technology. Quality

Food. SCIENCE. Technology. Quality

Food. Science. TECHNOLOGY. Quality

Food. Science. Technology. QUALITY

Authors

GRETA ADAMCZYK, MAGDALENA KRYSTYJAN, ANNA DOBOSZ, MAREK SIKORA

Title

Thixotropic properties of starch

Abstract

In the paper, thixotropic properties were described of starch gels and pastes obtained from starches of various botanical origins (natural corn, waxy corn, wheat, rye, barley, oat, and rice starch). The phenomenon of thixotropy is studied by means of hysteresis loops, three stepped shear flow test, and by measuring the viscosity at a constant rate of shear. The quantitative determination of the thixotropy phenomenon was described using a three stepped shear flow test. This test made it possible to numerically determine the recovery of a structure of the sample destroyed during shearing. The thixotropic properties of starches were affected, in the first place, by the conditions of preparing starch pastes and gels, among other things by: time, temperature and blending speed of samples while pasting, botanical origin of starch, amylose to amylopectin ratio, as well as starch concentration. The study of thixotropic properties was carried out mainly on corn starches. A higher temperature of pasting caused the amylopectin to leach from starch granules; this was the condition for a more stable structure of waxy corn starch pastes/gels to form and for antithixotropic properties to occur. In the case of natural corn starch, such properties were not reported. Based on the measurements of viscosity vs. time at a constant rate of shear, it was found that the waxy corn starch showed antithixotropic properties only at some definite rates of shear, and the proof thereof was the increase in the apparent viscosity of the systems of the starch studied.

Keywords

starch gels and pastes, thixotropy, rheological properties, method of studying thixotropy

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