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Fine Structure of Amylose and Amylopectin

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Starch Structure, Functionality and Application in Foods

Abstract

Starch granules consist of two types of polymeric components, essentially linear amylose and branched amylopectin. Ratios and fine structure of these two polymers determine the starch functional properties and starch applications in food and non-food industries. Amylose fine structure can be characterized by two features, molecular size and structure of branching. Amylopectin consists of numerous short chains, with a chain length of ~6–35 glucosidic units, of α-(1, 4)-linked D-glucose residues, which are interlinked to form clusters defined as groups of chains through their reducing end side by α-(1, 6)-linkages, and the macromolecule of amylopectin exhibits a heavily branched structure built from about 95% (1→4)-α- and 5% (1→6)-α-linkages. Chain length profile and cluster model of amylopectin can provide a useful conceptual basis for understanding the structure of the amylopectin and guide current thinking related to amylopectin biosynthesis and physical behavior. This chapter reviews the structural characteristics of amylose and amylopectin.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

    Xiangli Kong

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  1. Xiangli Kong
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Correspondence to Xiangli Kong .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition & Safety/School of Food Science & Engineering, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, China

    Shujun Wang

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Kong, X. (2020). Fine Structure of Amylose and Amylopectin. In: Wang, S. (eds) Starch Structure, Functionality and Application in Foods. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0622-2_3

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