Study on physicochemical and in-vitro enzymatic hydrolysis properties of ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) starch

• Provided basic information on the physicochemical properties of ginkgo starch.
• Revealed the mechanism of higher resistance to α-amylase of ginkgo starch.
• Compared the characteristics of ginkgo starch with normal maize and potato starch.

Ginkgo biloba seed starch was isolated and its morphological, compositional, physicochemical, and structural characteristics, and in-vitro enzymatic hydrolysis, were investigated. Ginkgo starch granules were oval or spherical (5–20 μm) with a smooth surface. Compared with normal maize and potato starches, ginkgo starch had a significantly higher amylose content of 33.26%, a CA-type crystal pattern and a significantly higher crystallinity degree (40.2%). Because of its different chemical composition and structural characteristics, ginkgo starch exhibited a higher pasting temperature (80.95 °C), setback viscosity (1463 cP), gelatinization temperature (69.23 °C), lower swelling factor and gelatinization enthalpy (4.34 J/g). Moreover, ginkgo starch showed the lowest hydrolysis degree of the three starches in vitro, indicating its higher resistance to α-amylase digestibility in the case of retrogradation. The present study demonstrated that ginkgo starch is a robust and potentially useful nutritional source of enzyme-resistant starch, and provides useful information for food industries using ginkgo seeds.

13C CP/MAS NMR spectra of normal maize, potato, ginkgo and amorphous starches.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide