Cereal Chem 67:70-73   |  VIEW ARTICLE

Intra- and Interpopulation Variability of Thermal Properties of Maize Starch.

P. White, I. Abbas, L. Pollak, and L. Johnson. Copyright 1990 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

The variability in thermal properties of laboratory-isolated starch from five open-pollinated populations of genetically variable maize was evaluated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Each population was represented by ears from four self-pollinated plants, and starch from five kernels of each ear was individually extracted and analyzed. The data among populations showed significant differences (P less than 0.05) in the DSC values of the isolated starch, suggesting differences in composition and degree of crystallinity of the starches. The DSC values measured include peak onset, temperature range of gelatinization, and enthalpy. Further investigation was made to evaluate the variability in thermal properties of the starch among maize plants of the same population by using ears from 20 self-pollinated plants (five kernels each) of one population. Results showed significant differences among plants within the same population, indicating that genetic variability for starch structure and, thus, thermal behavior of the starch, may exist within populations.