Effect of dry heating treatment on multi-levels of structure and physicochemical properties of maize starch: A thermodynamic study

Abstract Dry heating treatment (DHT) is a common process widely used in food industry. In this study, the thermodynamic effects of DHT on starch structure and physicochemical properties are investigated. The results show that, with heating temperature increasing during DHT, the molecular size, long-amylose chains with degree of polymerization (DP) ~5000–20,000, and the crystallinity of maize starch are significantly reduced while the granular structure is retained with slightly aggregation between starch particles. The solubility of DHT starch increases from 0.5% to 2%, indicating the majority of DHT starch is still insoluble. DHT affects starch thermal property greatly that, it decreases the gelatinization enthalpy while increases the heterogeneity of starch crystallites. With heating temperature increasing, DHT reduces the overall viscosity of starch paste. The rheological property of DHT starch is frequency-dependent, showing the typical shear thinning behavior and “solid-like” gel property. Especially, as heating temperature reaches 190 °C, the shear resistance becomes stronger, and it is closer to Newtonian fluid. The results prove the thermodynamic effects of DHT on multi-levels of starch structure and physicochemical properties, also indicating the great potential to utilize DHT in modifying starch properties and amplifying its applications.