Comparative analysis of the gelling, retrograding and rheological properties of emmer starch compared to other cereal starches

In today?s dynamic development of food technologies it becomes necessary to study alternative sources of starch to replace the traditionally used ones. Characteristics such as granule size, gelling properties, retrogradation and rheology are fundamental for the selection of starch in the food industry. The aim of the present study is to investigate the possibilities for application of an emmer starch in food industry by comparing its main properties with two other cereal starches, isolated from rice and wheat. The results showed that the emmer starch had a similar granule size and structure, with increased amylose content as the wheat starch. This was also the reason for the similar gelling and retrograde properties as wheat starch. In terms of retrogradation, the highest results showed emmer starch and the lowest - rice starch. Emmer starch had the lowest onset temperature of gelatinization, and the peak temperature of gelatinization was 76.3?C. The starch gel obtained with emmer starch has the lowest viscosity but the most shear resistance compared to that with wheat and rice starch.