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Abstract
Analysis of structural changes of starch gels of the polymer content from 0.05 g/cm3 to 0.10 g/cm3 has been performed on the basis of results of a study by the DMTA and 1H NMR methods. For gels of starch concentration below 0.08 g/cm3, the changes of the rigidity modulus are insignificant; a small increase is observed only in the first three hours of measurements. Gels of a higher starch content are characterised by much higher initial value of the rigidity modulus, which significantly increases with the time of measurements. The values of the rigidity modulus are determined by the density of network segments. In the systems with starch concentration up to 0.08 g/cm3, the initial and the final concentrations of the network segments show insignificant differences, while for the gels of a higher starch content these concentrations differ significantly. As follows from results of NMR relaxometry experiment, in the gels of a polymer concentration up to 0.08 g/cm3 no changes in water dynamics in time have occurred. In those of starch concentration above 0.08 g/cm3, the relaxation rate of water has changed in time. The maximum in the water relaxation rate observed after 3-4 hours of measurements indicates the process of water fixing in hydrates. A further monotonic decrease of the relaxation rate suggests that the water initially involved in the gel structure formation is evacuated from the starch network. This process should be related to respiralisation of amylopectin chains, whose participation in the gel structure formation increases with increasing polymer concentration. The results suggest that for the starch gels of polymer content lower than 0.08 g/cm3 the gel structure formed on cooling is saved and not subject to development. In the time range studied no changes in the parameters studied which could suggest the occurrence of starch retrogradation have been observed, which has been interpreted as a result of a small contribution of amylopectin chains in formation of the gel spatial network.