Dual modifications on the gelatinization, textural, and morphology properties of pea starch by sodium carbonate and Mesona chinensis polysaccharide

The effects of dual modifications on the gelatinization, textural, and morphology properties of pea starch by Na2CO3 and Mesona chinensis polysaccharide (MCP) were investigated. Results showed that Na2CO3 promoted granular swelling and disruption but decreased the rearrangement tendency of disordered starch fraction of PS during gelatinization. The addition of 0.05%–0.1% MCP slightly affected granular swelling and protected the integrity of starch granules of Na2CO3–PS. 0.2% MCP enhanced the retrogradation and recrystallization of gelatinized starch in the presence of Na2CO3. Near-UV circular dichroism spectra showed that adding Na2CO3 and MCP in PS resulted in a strong peak at 285 nm and a small trough at 310 nm in the spectra of MCP and PS. The peak intensity orders of samples were consistent with the reaggregation tendency, suggesting that the characteristic peak at 285 nm was closely related to the retrogradation degree of starch.