Effects of Annealing on ultra-high pressure induced gelatinization of corn starch

Ultra-high pressure (UHP) can induce starch gelatinization at the room temperature, while the change of starch architecture could affect the gelatinization process. This work evaluated the effects of annealing on UHP induced starch gelatinization. Native and annealed corn starches were subjected to UHP treatment (300–600 MPa) for 15 min at room temperature. The scanning electron microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction analysis showed that UHP treatment partially disrupted the ordered structures of native and annealed starches, which made starch gelatinized gradually and a transformation in crystal type from type A to type B. However, compared with native starch, annealing (C3 and C24) delayed the internal and external structure destruction of starch granules, as well as induced a slower decrease in ΔH and relative crystallinity as increasing pressure. Therefore, the suitable UHP treatment can increase the pressure resistance of starch, or delay the UHP gelatinization process.