Production and Properties of Starch—Current Research

Dear Colleagues,

Starch is one of the most important biopolymers in both the food and non-food industries. Its properties, which vary depending on the plant source, stem directly from its structure. Factors such as starch granule morphology, amylose to amylopectin ratio, molecular structure, degree of branching in terms of steric hindrance, and consequently mass transfer resistance affect the physicochemical properties and application of starch. Native starches have been modified by various methods for desired industrial applications over the last few decades. There has been intense interest in developing novel methods with the advantages of high efficiency, environmental friendliness and easy operation for starch production and modification. Although more attention is paid to the functional properties of modified starch for practical applications in the industry, structural changes are the basis of functional changes, and hence, understanding the structural alteration induced by processing techniques is a fundamental issue towards a better utilization of starch and starch modification techniques. The current research is also geared towards the importance of starch in human nutrition and health. The different forms of existence of starch in foods and novel food processing with respect to its digestibility have received tremendous research focus. In addition, starch digestion is controlled by the starch microstructure. The microstructure of starch is complex and organized in multiple scales. Starch multiscale structures, including the amylose/amylopectin ratio, fine structures of amylose and amylopectin, short-range ordered structures, helical structures, crystalline features, lamellar structures, and morphology, are factors that determine enzyme binding and catalyzation with starch in the human diet. This Special Issue of Molecules aims to acquire in-depth knowledge about some of the aforementioned research concepts in the starch structure, functionalities, and application in food systems.

Dr. Litao Tong
Dr. Lili Wang
Guest Editors

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