DSC STUDIES OF STARCH IN CEREAL AND CEREAL PRODUCTS

Heat flux calorimetry was used to study the thermal behaviour of different cereals and their products. The endothermal reactions of the samples occurred when measurements were made with sufficient water and sealed cells. According to the interpretation of the calorimetric curves, these reactions correspond to the change (disintegration or association) of the originally ordered secondary structure of the starch, or to the reassociation of the gelatinised starch into a new molecular order. The data derived from DSC explain the functional properties of starch in complicated food systems, even without the necessity of first extracting the starch. The results indicate the feasibility of DSC in the evaluation of the character and intensity of structural modifications of cereal starch caused by different types of treatment in the food industry.