Method for determining the amylose content, molecular weights, and weight- and molar-based distributions of degree of polymerization of amylose and fine-structure of amylopectin

Cooked rice texture and other aspects of rice starch functionality are influenced by amylose and amylopectin content and structure. A method is described that uses high performance size exclusion chromatography coupled with multiangle laser light scattering and refractive index detectors to determine amylose content, molecular mass of amylose and the weight- and molar-based distributions of degree of polymerization (DP) of amylose and the fine structure of amylopectin. The method is relatively rapid with the coefficient of variation less than 5% for most aspects of the molecular characterization. It should find utility in research programs studying the association between starch molecular characteristics and functionality, and in starch-related genetics studies of diverse botanical sources.