‏ In this research the effects of two common cooking processes of foods, namely, autoclave and extrusion cooking on the molecular and physicochemical properties of wheat starch were investigated. The results showed that the solubility of the autoclaved samples increased with increasing the temperature while their relative viscosity decreased. These findings indicated that the molecular degradation of starch could occur during autoclave cooking. Moreover, constant sedimentation coefficient (s-value) of amylose and decreasing the s-value of amylopectin with increasing the temperature further confirmed degradation of amylopectin in particular. The results of the extruded samples showed that reduction in water content may increase the shear and pressure produced during extrusion cooking, which in turn could cause several changes in starch properties including degradation of starch granules, formation of amylose-lipid complex and degradation of amylopectin (as determined by reduction of the s-values). Also, reduction in water content could increase the puffiness of the final products and reduce the cold-water and final viscosities of the extruded samples. These observations may indicate the importance of the molecular studies of starch for better interpretation of physical changes of the final products.

Keywords: Wheat starch, Extrusion, Autoclave, Molecular structure, Sedimentation coefficient.

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