Structural characteristics of tamarind seed polysaccharides treated by high-pressure homogenization and their effects on physicochemical properties of corn starch.

In this work, structural characteristics of TSPs treated by high-pressure homogenization (HPH) and their effects on physicochemical properties of corn starch were analyzed. HPH induced monosaccharides change, Gal/Glc ratio decrease from 0.32 to 0.25, and molecular weight (Mw) decrease from 10.55 to 4.47 × 105 Da through damaging glycosidic linkages in the backbone and side-chain of TSPs. Furthermore, 90 MPa homogenized TSP (higher Gal removal) showed inhibitory effects on starch paste retrogradation, and TSPs with a lower Mw (homogenized at 60 and 90 MPa) could limit water precipitation during the long-term storage. Moreover, Mw and Gal/Glc ratio were the major factors for the determined effects of TSPs on physicochemical properties of corn starch. The results could provide new insights into the relationship between TSP structure and their effects on the physicochemical properties of starch.