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Effect of Laboratory Batch Steeping pH on Starch Yield and Pasting Properties of Selected Corn Hybrids

¹Graduate student, research specialist, professor, and professor, respectively, Department of Agricultural Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801. ²Corresponding author. Phone: 217-244-4022. Fax: 217-244-0323. E-mail: seckhoff@uiuc.edu

This study evaluated the effect of initial pH on percent of starch yield and pasting characteristics for a laboratory wet-milling procedure. Four commercial hybrids, selected because they have significantly different starch yield values, were laboratory wet-milled, and the pasting properties of the starch fractions were evaluated using a Rapid Visco Analyser (RVA). Percent starch yield (db) decreased when initial pH values were >4.0 but was unaffected by any lower initial pH values. The pasting properties of some of the selected hybrids were more sensitive to steepwater pH than others. There was an overall increase in peak, trough, and final viscosity as pH increased.