Phase transition of cross-linked and hydroxypropylated corn (Zea mays L.) starches

The thermal behaviors of three chemically modified starches (cross-linked waxy corn, hydroxypropylated regular corn, and hydroxypropylated and oxidized waxy corn) were studied using light microscopy, SEM, DSC, XRD, and HPSEC. During the gelatinization process, molecular and crystalline order losses occurred independently from each other. Oxidation treatment altered the effects of hydroxypropylation on starch gelatinization. Both cross-linking and hydroxypropylation tended to preserve granular crystalline order during initial stages of gelatinization. The crystallinities and X-ray patterns of each starch remained essentially unchanged prior to phase transition.