EFFECT OF CROSS-LINKING ON SOME PROPERTIES OF CORN STARCH

Abstract

Corn starch was chemically modified by cross-linking with Sodium tri meta phosphate (STMP)/ Sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP((99:1 W/W) and the physicochemical properties of the cross-linked corn starch were vstigated as a function of the degree of cross-linking. Cross-linking decreased the solubility, swelling factor, and paste clarity of corn starch. While the viscosity significantly increased from the native starch and there was a slight increase of sediment volume. The swelling factor was highly correlated with the degree of crosslinking, the X-ray iffraction atterns did not show any significant alteration in the crystallinity of corn starch. It was by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) measurement that a black zone was observed on the surface of modified starch granules as compared with native starch granules.