Amylopectin chain length

FIGURE 5.1 Cluster model of amylopectin. A and B denote nomenclature of branch chains, 0=reducing end, c.l. = chain length in degree of polymerization. Reprinted from Carbohydrate Research, Vol. 147, Hizukuri (1986), Polymodal distribution of the chain lengths of amylopectin, and its significance, Pages 342-347, with permission from Elsevier. 

Hizukuri, S. (1986). Polymodal distribution of the chain lengths of amylopectin, and its significance. Carbohydr. Res. 147,342-347. 

Jane, J., Chen, Y. Y., Lee, L. F., McPherson, A. E., Wong, K. S., Radosavljevic, M., and Kasemsuwan, T. (1999). Effects of amylopectin branch chain length and amylose content on gelatinization and pasting properties of starch. Cereal Chem. 76, 629-637. 

Hizukuri, S. (1985). Relationship between the distribution of the chain length of amylopectin and the crystalline structure of starch granules. Carbohydr. Res., 141,295-306. 

Most potato starches are composed of a mixture of two polysaccharides, a linear fraction, amylose, and a highly branched fraction, amylopectin. The content of amylose is between 15 and 25% for most starches. The ratio of amylose to amylopectin varies from one starch to another. The two polysaccharides are homoglucans with only two types of chain linkage, a-(l 4) in the main chain and a-(l 6)-linked branch chains. Physicochemical properties of potato and its starch are believed to be influenced by amylose and amylopectin content, molecular weight, and molecular weight distribution, chain length and its distribution, and phosphorus content (Jane and Chen, 1992). 

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