Effect of a small amount of sodium carbonate on konjac glucomannan-induced changes in wheat starch gel

• Na2CO3 increases the gel-like characters of KGM–starch gels.
• Na2CO3 effects diffusion-controlled chain aggregation.
• Na2CO3 promotes strong interchain associations between KGM and starch.

Wheat starch gels were produced with konjac glucomannan (KGM) and low concentrations of Na2CO3 (0.1–0.2 wt% of starch) using a rapid viscosity analyzer (RVA). The gelling properties of wheat starch in varying ratios of KGM and Na2CO3 were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), rheometry and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). A small amount of Na2CO3 resulted in gels with increased elasticity whereas structural ordering during retrogradation was insignificantly affected. Comparison of CLSM images of composite gels revealed that Na2CO3 at 0.2 wt% of starch allowed the formation of fiber-like extensions around scattered swollen granules by KGM and amylose interaction, making swollen granules disperse within the micro phase, which was not typical in CLSM images of gels in the absence of Na2CO3. Dynamic storage modulus and dynamic power law exponent were substantially higher than those observed for the same concentration of KGM in the presence of Na2CO3, supporting the hypothesis that Na2CO3 could promote strong interchain associations between KGM and starch components.