Influence of environmental temperature during grain filling period on granule size distribution of rice starch and its relation to gelatinization properties

High temperature (HT) is the major environmental factor affecting grain starch properties of cooking rice cultivars. However, little information has been available on the effect of environmental temperature on the starch granule size distribution of rice grains. In this paper, five indica rice genotypes, including the wild type (9311) and its four mutants differing in amylose content (AC), were used to investigate the effect of environmental temperature on the starch granule size distribution, as well as its relation to AC and gelatinization properties of rice starch. Two temperature treatments (HT and NT) at filling stage were imposed to rice plants under the controlled temperature chambers. The result showed that HT increased the average diameter of starch granules and enhanced the proportion of large starch granules (LSG, D > 2.6 μm) by number, volume and surface area, respectively. However, influence of HT on GT and starch granule size distribution was relatively independent of their alteration in AC level for different rice genotypes. Therefore, HT-induced increase in the average diameter of starch granules and LSG percentage was strongly responsible for the higher starch gelatinization temperature and inferior cooked palatability of HT-ripening rice grains, which be not inherently associated with their varying AC level.