In situ study starch gelatinization under ultra-high hydrostatic pressure using synchrotron SAXS

The gelatinization of waxy (very low amylose) corn and potato starches by high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) (up to ∼1 GPa) was investigated in situ using synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) on samples held in a diamond anvil cell (DAC). The starch pastes, made by mixing starch and water in a 1:1 ratio (by weight), were pressurized and measured at room temperature. During HHP, both SAXS peak areas (corresponding to the lamellar phase) of waxy corn and potato starches decreased suggesting the starch gelatinization increases with increasing pressure. As pressure increased, lamellar peak broadened and the power law exponent increased in low q region. 1D linear correlation function was further employed to analyse SAXS data. For both waxy potato and waxy corn starches, the long period length and the average thickness of amorphous layers decreased when the pressure increased. While for both of waxy starches, the thickness of the crystalline layer first increased, then decreased when the pressure increased. The former is probably due to the out-phasing of starch molecules, and the latter is due to the water penetrating into the crystalline region during gelatinization and to pressure induced compression.