Starch Chemistry in Foods

Dear Colleagues,

Amongst the biopolymers in nature, starch has received the most attention with respect to its nutritive value and structure–function relations in food and non-food industrial products and applications. Starch and products derived from starch are the major components in food products, and could be used to affect the physical properties of many foods. Starches from different sources and genotypes within have shown substantial diversity in their composition, structure of amylose and amylopectin, and structural arrangement of the starch granules, which contribute to different physicochemical properties and thus different functionalities. Understanding the relationship between starch structure and functionalities in foods is a highly interesting scientific field. Research on the effect of chemical, enzymatic, and physical modifications of native starches has further improved their properties and expanded the spectrum of starch applications in food systems. In addition, various physical processing techniques such as heat, shear, and moisture content highly influence the structure of starch molecules and interactions with other bio-molecules and food additives, as well as the sensory and nutritional qualities of final food products. The impact of these interactions on the sensory and nutritional qualities of foods and their safety have been the focus of several recent research studies. The current research is also geared towards the importance of starch in human nutrition and health. A new challenge for the food industry is to supply consumers with starch-containing foods with improved nutritional quality. The different forms of starch in foods and novel food processing with respect to starch digestibility have received tremendous research focus. This Special Issue of Molecules aims to acquire in-depth knowledge about some of the aforementioned research concepts in starch chemistry, driving applications in various food products.

Prof. Hyun-Jung Chung
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• starch chemistry
• starch functionality
• starch structure
• food applications of starch
• novel starch development
• modified starch
• grain-based products
• novel food processing in starch-based foods
• starch and health

• Starch in Food Products in Molecules (9 articles)