Nature of thermal transitions of native and acid-hydrolysed pea starch: Does gelatinization really happen?

► Thermal transitions of native and acid-hydrolysed starch were studied using DSC and FE-SEM. ► After 2 days of hydrolysis the characteristic endothermic transition had become broad and undefined and the starch did not swell or gelatinise on heating. ► Endothermic transitions were interpreted in terms of dissolution of polymer chains.