A review on the physicochemical properties of starches modified by microwave alone and in combination with other methods.

Native starches are unsuitable for most industrial applications. Therefore, they are modified to improve their application in the industry. Starch may be modified using enzymatic, genetic, chemical, and physical methods. Due to the demand for safe foods by consumers, researchers are focusing on the use of cheap, safe and environmentally friendly methods such as the use of physical means for starch modification. Microwave heating of starch is a promising physical method for starch modification due to its advantages such as homogeneous operation throughout the whole sample volume, shorter processing time, greater penetration depth and better product quality. More recently, the use of synergistic methods for starch modification is being encouraged because they confer better functionality on starch than single methods. This review summarizes the present knowledge on the structure and physicochemical properties of starches from different botanical origins modified using microwave heating alone and in combination with other starch modification methods.