Gums, British, structure

Chemistry of Dextrinization, and Structure of Dextrins and British Gums 302... 

Further chemical changes that occur during dextrinization should be discussed separately for the case of formation of British gum, and for variously catalyzed thermal processes. Thus, when starch (1) is heated in the presence of moisture, random hydrolytic scission at the (1 - 6), and more readily at the (1 — 4), linkages has been proposed to occur in the branched chains of amylopectin, to give more-linear structures, leading to the observed decrease in viscosity. o-Glucosyl oxocarbonium ions (2) were postulated as intermediates, but free radicals (3) formed by homolytic fission at the (1 4)-glycosidic bond are also feasible. 

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