Amylopectin hydrolysis

Starch (amylose and amylopectin) hydrolysis along with ester-fication, etherification or oxidation have been previously discussed as available methods for producing starch derivatives with improved water dispersibilities and reduced retrogradation potential (, ). Since oxidative and hydrolytic reactions are simple, easily controlled chemical modifications, starch-derived polymers made by hydrolysis alone or oxidative and hydrolytic processes were developed and tested. 

Amylase occurs in many plants, such as barley, wheat, rye, soy beans, and potatoes, where it is generally accompanied by some a-amylase. [ -Amylase initiates hydrolysis at the nonreducing end of an amylose or amylopectin chain, and removes maltose units successively until the reducing end of the molecule is encountered in amylose or a branch is met in amylopectin. ( -Amylase is used commercially in the preparation of maltose symps. After P-amylase hydrolysis of amylopectin there remains a P-amylase limit dextrin. ( -Amylase has been used as a probe of the fine stmcture of amylopectin (43-46). 

The hydrolysis of starch by salivary and pancreatic amylases catalyze random hydrolysis of a(l—>4) glycoside bonds, yielding dextrins, then a mixmre of glucose, maltose, and isomaltose (from the branch points in amylopectin). 

The rate of hydrolysis of amylose in 7.7 N hydrochloric acid has been measured by Swanson and Cori,146 who, from comparison of this result with that for amylopectin, concluded that the 4 — 1-a-D bonds are less stable than the 6 — 1-a-D type. 

Especially in the US and European markets, amylases have been added to detergents along with proteases since 1973 to capitalize on the activity of the amylases toward starch-containing soils. From different amylases available, only a-amylases are used for detergents. They are able to catalyze the hydrolysis of the amylose and amylopectin fractions of starch, i.e., cleavage of the a-l,4-glycosidic bonds of the starch chain [15]. This facilitates the removal of starch-based stains by the detergent. 

The isolation of 2,3-dimethyl-D-glucose from the hydrolysis products of certain methylated polysaccharides has been an important factor in assigning structures to these polysaccharides. From trimethyl-starch it has been recovered in about 3% yield, together with 2,3,4,6-tetra-methyl- and 2,3,6-trimethyl-D-glucopyranose, and arises from the points of linkage of the repeating chains of the amylopectin component.67,69,70 From a dimethyl-starch the yield is considerably higher (75%).71 Other sources are the methylated capsular polysaccharide of Rhizobium radici-... 

The data19 summarized in Figure 1 show that the extent of the hydrolysis of soluble potato starch by barley beta amylase reaches a limit which is independent of the concentration of the amylase. The data are typical of the action of beta amylases on unfractionated starches, when the hydrolyses are carried out at or near pH 4.5.1 3 6 19 20 Under these conditions, the hydrolysis of unfractionated starches usually ceases when 60 to 64% of the maltose theoretically obtainable from the substrate has been formed. The exact value of the limit obviously will depend upon the concentration of amylopectin in the starch and upon its structure. 

Table 5. Values of the parameters and in Eq. (91) for linear and cross-linked polyester chains and for various fractions of amylopectin fractions obtained by a controlled acid hydrolysis [177]...

More specific hydrolysis may be achieved by the use of enzymes. Thus, the enzyme a-amylase in saliva and in the gut is able to catalyse hydrolysis of al 4 bonds throughout the starch molecule to give mainly maltose, with some glucose and maltotriose, the trisaccharide of glucose. Amylose is hydrolysed completely by this enzyme, but the al 6 bonds of amylopectin are not affected. Another digestive enzyme, a-l,6-glucosidase, is required for this reaction. Finally, pancreatic maltase completes the hydrolysis by hydrolysing maltose and maltotriose. 

Structural analysis of isolated amylose and amylopectin components has been carried out by standard methods based on methylation, periodate oxidation, and partial acid hydrolysis studies. Methylation and periodate oxidation studies established the linkage types and frequency of... 

Starch consists of two main components amylose (insoluble in cold water) and amylopectin (soluble in cold water). Amylose, which accounts for about 20 per cent by weight of starch, has an average molecular weight of over 10. It is a polymer of glucopyranose units linked together through a l,4 -linkages in a linear chain. Hydrolysis of amylose produces maltose. Amylose and iodine form a colour complex, which is blue/black. This is the colour reaction of iodine in starch, a confirmatory test for the presence of starch. 

On the other hand, amylopectin accounts for about 80 per cent by weight of starch and consists of hundreds of glucose molecules linked together by l,4 -a- and also 1,6 -a-glycoside bonds. Amylopectin contains branches (nonlinear), approximately one in every 20 to 25 glucose units. Hydrolysis of amylopectin yields maltose. 

Arsenate similarly replaces phosphate in various phosphorolysis reactions, so that sucrose phosphorylase catalyzes the hydrolysis of sucrose in its presence (23), potato phosphorylase can hydrolyze amylose and amylopectin (24), nucleoside phosphorylase can hydrolyze inosine... 

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