Effect of Co‐Additive and pH on Starch Gelatinization and Its Theoretical Model

ABSTRACT

Research on the effect of co‐additives on starch gelatinization is limited, and a comprehensive model for simulating the gelatinization process is currently lacking. In this study, the effects of polyacid/polyol systems, including succinic acid/diethylene glycol (S/D), adipic acid/triethylene glycol (A/T), and citric acid/poly(ethylene glycol) (C/P), with varied weight ratios at pH 7 and with varied pH values at a fixed weight ratio of 20/5 on maize starch (MS) gelatinization were studied by rapid viscosity analysis. The results showed that the polyacid/polyol systems at a weight ratio of 20/5 produced a pronounced non‐linear effect on pasting behavior, increasing the pasting temperature ( T _paste ) from 76.3°C (MS) to 81.5°C (MS/S20D5) at pH 7. At pH 6, the effect of MS/S20D5 was most pronounced, with T _paste reaching 82.4°C and the breakdown and setback viscosity values minimized to 652 and 987 cP, respectively. The pasting, breakdown, and setback parts of the starch/polyacid/polyol pasting profile were effectively described by the modified Hill equation, the Gompertz equation, and the Gompertz equation, respectively (R ²  = 0.9692–0.9999). Kinetic parameters derived from the model revealed that polyacid/polyol co‐additives enhanced the thermal stability and inhibited the retrogradation of maize starch paste. The established model provides a comprehensive tool for describing starch gelatinization in the presence of additives.