Crystalline precipitates of pea amylose with selected food flavour compounds: hexanal, trans-2-nonenal and trans-2, 4-decadienal, were obtained through a controlled method of heating at 80°C and slowly cooling. Amylose from pea starch was prepared by precipitation with l-butanol after aqueous leaching at 70°C. The amylose-flavour precipitates were examined by light microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction. The crystallinity of the complexes followed the order: amylose-hexanal > amylose-trans-2-nonenal > amylose-trans-2,4-decadienal, demonstrated by: the dimension of the crystals, the melting temperatures and enthalpies, the Bragg angles (20) and distances d (nm). The crystalline structure of the amylose-hexanal complex, determined by X-ray diffraction, was assigned to be V61 type. The amylose- trans-2-nonenal showed intermediate characteristics with a tendency to the V611 form and the conformation of the trans- trans-2,4-decadienal chain seems to preclude full inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]