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Effects of octenylsuccinic anhydride (OSA) esterification on the morphology, crystalline structure, and emulsifying properties of three representative starches with different crystalline types, namely waxy corn starch (A-type), potato starch (B-type), and pea starch (C-type) were investigated. XRD patterns testified OSA substitution occurred principally in the amorphous region without affecting the crystalline patterns, whereas SEM verified esterification was mainly a surface phenomenon. However, OSA esterification caused a decrease in the peak intensity and area of small-angle X-ray scattering profiles, indicating the semi-crystalline lamellae ordering was impeded to a certain extent. Compared with A- and C-type starches, B-type starch had a stronger affinity for OSA, as manifested by its higher degree of substitution (DS), graver surface detriment, and depressed order of semi-crystalline lamellae. The emulsifying properties of all starches were pronouncedly improved by OSA modification, especially for A-type starch even with comparatively lower DS. Pickering emulsion stabilized by OSA-modified A-type starch (A-OSAS) with smaller droplet size and more uniform droplet size distribution exhibited more splendiferous stability relative to the other two modified starches. Moreover, rheological tests revealed A-OSAS possessed the highest apparent viscosity and storage modulus (G'), insinuating strong intermolecular interactions between starch granules at the interface and/or in the continuous phase., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Starch-stabilized Pickering emulsions were employed as a novel particulate filler in myofibrillar protein (MP)-based gels for improving the gelling characteristics. The role of emulsions prepared by native starches (NS) with distinctive crystalline types (i.e., A-type waxy corn starch, B-type potato starch, and C-type pea starch) and their OSA-modified counterparts (A-OS, B-OS, C-OS) in the gelling performance was evaluated and compared with MP-stabilized-emulsion. Compared with MP-emulsion, starch-emulsion caused substantial increases in the gelling properties, notably for OSA-starch emulsions. Herein, A-OS exhibited up to 1.26-, 5.3-, and 2.9-fold increments in storage modulus, gel strength, and water holding capacity relative to pure MP gel, respectively, higher than B-OS and C-OS. Moreover, light microscopy evinced a more compact gel network filled with smaller and uniform oil droplets when A-OS emulsions were incorporated into the gels. The addition of OSA-starch emulsions, especially A-OS emulsion, facilitated the protein conformational conversion from α-helix to β-sheet and caused a marked reduction of free sulfhydryls in the gels; yet, the chemical forces that stabilized the gels altered, where remarkable reinforcements in hydrogen bond and hydrophobic interaction were detected, in support of the construction of splendid MP gels. Hence, OSA-starch emulsions show promise as functional components in meat products., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Starch and cellulose are two typical natural polymers from plants that have similar chemical structures. The blending of these two biopolymers for materials development is an interesting topic, although how their molecular interactions could influence the conformation and properties of the resultant materials has not been studied extensively. Herein, the rheological properties of cellulose/starch/ZnCl₂ solutions were studied, and the structures and properties of cellulose-starch hybrid films were characterized. The rheological study shows that compared with starch (containing mostly amylose), cellulose contributed more to the solution's viscosity and has a stronger shear-thinning behavior. A comparison between the experimental and calculated zero-shear-rate viscosities indicates that compact complexes (interfacial interactions) formed between cellulose and starch with ≤50 wt % cellulose content, whereas a loose structure (phase separation) existed with ≥70 wt % cellulose content. For starch-rich hybrid films prepared by compression molding, less than 7 wt % of cellulose was found to improve the mechanical properties despite the reduced crystallinity of the starch; for cellulose-rich hybrid films, a higher content of starch reduced the material properties, although the chemical interactions were not apparently influenced. It is concluded that the mechanical properties of biopolymer films were mainly affected by the structural conformation, as indicated by the rheological results.

Starch/lactic acid graft copolymer (Starch-g-PLA) was prepared by the in situ copolymerization of starch grafted with lactic acid catalyzed with sodium hydroxide, and then mixed with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) to get composite films. The structures of the graft copolymer and composite films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The mechanical properties, water resistance, and thermal stability were also investigated. It was found that the compatibility of Starch-g-PLA and PVA was better than that of starch and PVA in the composite films. The tensile strength and elongation at break of the Starch-g-PLA/PVA composite film increased by 69.15% and 84.22%, respectively, while the water absorption decreased by 50.39%, which overcame the shortcomings of hydrophilicity and poor mechanical properties of Starch/PVA film. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) also showed that the thermal stability of Starch-g-PLA/PVA film was improved compared with Starch/PVA film., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

BACKGROUND Heat‐induced composite gels were prepared with 20 g kg−1 myofibrillar protein (MP) sol, 20 g kg−1 modified starch and 100 g kg−1 lipid pre‐emulsified by MP in 0.6 mol L−1 NaCl, at pH 6.2. The effects of esterified potato starch (EPS) and emulsified lipid (lard or peanut oil) on the rheology, texture properties and nuclear magnetic resonance characterization of MP gel were evaluated. RESULTS: The addition of starch and lipid significantly improved the gel strength and water holding capacity (WHC) of the MP gel. Analysis of the relaxation time compared with the WHC tests showed that the variation range of the transverse T22 relaxation time of a gel was positively proportional to changes in WHC of the composite gel, and the lower the T22 relaxation time, the better the WHC of composite gel. Moreover, MP gel with starch and emulsified lard added at the same time has the lowest T2 relaxation time, and also the best WHC of the gel. Environmental scanning electron microscopy showed that emulsified oil droplets embedded the gaps in the protein network, and the gelatinized starch contributed to restrict the oil droplet size, resulting in thicker MP gel. CONCLUSION: Emulsified lipid and modified starch have an important influence on the rheology and microstructure of MP gels, indicating the subtle interaction between starch, lipid and protein. The results suggest the potential feasibility of modified starch and vegetable oil to improve the textural properties in comminuted meat products. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A starch reinforced strategy brings in superior self-healing property as well as remarkably enhanced mechanical strength to polymer hydrogels. • A hybrid DN hydrogel with enhance properties is prepared with a starch reinforcing tactic. • Starch significantly enhances both the mechanical and self-healing properties of gels. • Starch gelatinization and solvent soaking treatment play important roles in behaviors of the gels. • The composite gel shows rapid self-recovery and excellent fatigue resistance. • The DN gel shows superior healing efficiencies (up to 99 % after 24 h of healing). Constructing hybrid double network (DN) hydrogels has become an important strategy to prepare strong and tough hydrogels with good self-healing properties for durable usage. However, the recoverable and self-healing efficiencies of DN hydrogels are usually low. We develop a type of hybrid DN hydrogel, which contain the starch network for generating strong dynamic interactions within the gel matrix. The composite gels show tensile strength over 200 kPa with the elastic modulus of ∼29.7 kPa. Gelatinization of cassava starch is a key procedure that can significantly raise mechanical strengths. The healing efficiency of the composite gel gradually increased to as high as 99 % after 24 h at room temperature. This work shows that dynamic physical bonding in hydrogels can be greatly enhanced by a simple starch reinforcing tactic. The combination of naturally abundant starch with hydrophilic polymers provides a general approach to design functional soft materials for applications in various fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]