Influence of amylose on the pasting and gel texture properties of chestnut starch during thermal processing.

• Amylose content influenced the pasting and gel properties of cooked chestnut starch. • Pasting properties, springiness and chewiness negatively related to amylose content. • Amylose content positively affected the cohesiveness and stringiness of starch gel. The quality of starchy foods is highly correlated with their amylose content. After boiling or roasting, the amylose content in cooked chestnut starch decreased to 16.6–26.8%, which was significantly lower than that of raw chestnut starch (26.6–28.1%). After cooking, the pasting temperature and peak time increased, while the breakdown, peak viscosity, final viscosity and setback of starches decreased. The amylose content showed a negative correlation with the pasting characteristics of the starch gel of cooked chestnut. The amylose content negatively affected the springiness and chewiness of starch gel, and positively correlated with its cohesiveness and stringiness. The freeze-thaw stability of starch from cooked chestnut was lower than that of raw chestnut. The amylose content was negatively correlated with freeze-thaw stability and positively correlated with the solubility of starch. The results demonstrated that amylose plays an important role in the pasting and gel texture properties of starch during cooking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]