Cereals & Grains Association
Log In

The effect of starch composition on starch nanoparticles characteristics
R. SADEGHI (1), Z. Daniella (2), J. Kokini (1), S. Uzan (3) (1) Department of Food Science, College of Agriculture, Purdue University, west Lafayette, IN, U.S.A.; (2) Department of Food Science, College of Agriculture, Purdue University, , U.S.A.; (3) 2 Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Agriculture, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana-Champaign, IL, U.S.A..

Starch is a GRAS ingredient in food products and formulation. Starch nanoparticles have a great potential for various applications such as nanocomposites, biomedicine, food processing, industry, and so on. Nanoprecipitation (desolvation) method is one of the best developed techniques for nanoparticulation of starch. The effect of different parameters on starch nanoparticles characteristics were optimized in this study. One of these parameters was the effect of starch type and composition, specifically the ratio of amylose and amylopectin. Starch granules were fully gelatinized using chemicals and heat treatment. Four corn starch types have been selected including native corn, Amioca (waxy starch), Hylon V (55% amylose), and Hylon VII (70% amylose) starches. The average particle size showed that the smallest particles were produced from native corn starch and Hylon V, the particle sizes were 119±3 and 120±11 nm, respectively. While Amioca and Hylon VII starches showed larger particle size, 150±5 and 170±10 nm, respectively. The stability of the nanoparticles was studied for five days, native corn starch nanoparticles were completely stable, and the particle size was constant. The particle size of Hylon VII nanoparticles increased from 170 to 201 nm in five days, which can be related to retrogradation phenomenon. The combination of particle size, zeta potential and stability studies showed that the native corn starch and Hylon V are the best types among the studied starches for preparation of small, uniform and stable nanoparticles. SEM images showed relatively spherical and uniform nanoparticles. These nanoparticles have high potential to be used as delivery systems, Pickering nanoparticles, and other biological applications.