Starch phosphate ester substitution

Of the esters, starch phosphate is produced by reaction with phosphorus oxychloride, polyphosphates, or metaphosphates a cross-bonded product results. Total degree of substitution is determined by measuring the phosphorus content, and the mono- to disubstitution ratio can be calculated by potentio-metric titration. Allowance is made for the natural phosphorus content of the starch. Treatment of starch with acetic anhydride produces starch acetate, which has improved paste stability over native starch. The acetyl group is very labile, and hydrolyses readily under mild alkaline conditions. When a known amount of alkali is used, the excess can be titrated and the ester function measured. This is not specific, however, and a method based on an enzymatic measurement of the acetate has been developed in an ISO work group. The modified starch is hydrolyzed under acidic conditions, which releases acetic acid and permits filtration of the resulting solution. Acetic acid is then measured by a commercially available enzyme test kit. Both bound and free acetyl groups can be measured, and the method is applicable... 

Starch phosphates with a fairly low degree of -OPO3 substitution for -OH, are obtained by heating starch with phosphoric acid at about 60°C. Starches from com, wheat or rice (the main sources) are usually not phosphorylated, but some natural varieties such as potato starch already contain a few phosphate ester groups (up to about 0.1% P) (Chapter 10.1). 

Starches have been chemically modified to improve their solution and gelling characteristics for food applications. Common modifications involve the cross linking of the starch chains, formation of esters and ethers, and partial depolymerization. Chemical modifications that have been approved in the United States for food use, involve esterification with acetic anhydride, succinic anhydride, mixed acid anhydrides of acetic and adipic acids, and 1-octenylsuccinic anhydride to give low degrees of substitution (d.s.), such as 0.09 [31]. Phosphate starch esters have been prepared by reaction with phosphorus oxychloride, sodium trimetaphosphate, and sodium tripolyphosphate the maximum phosphate d.s. permitted in the US is 0.002. Starch ethers, approved for food use, have been prepared by reaction with propylene oxide to give hydroxypropyl derivatives [31]. 

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