Retrogradation characteristics of high hydrostatic pressure processed corn and wheat starch

High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) has been investigated as an alternative to thermal processing for food preservation. HHP has been known to affect high molecular weight polymers causing phase change. Starch is gelatinized at a pressure on the order of 600–700 MPa, at 25 °C. Gelatinized starch recrystallizes during storage affecting the texture and shelf life of food products. The effect of HHP processing on the crystallization of starches from different botanical origins during storage at 4 and 23 °C was investigated. Crystallization kinetics of HHP treated wheat and corn starch gels were compared using DSC. The effect of crystallization on structure was evaluated in terms of storage modulus. The rate of retrogradation depended on the storage temperature (23 °C and 4 °C) and the botanical origin of the starch. The least crystallization was observed in HHP treated wheat starch stored at 23 °C. The storage modulus increased with crystallization of starch.