Physicochemical Properties of Gels Obtained from Corn Porous Starches with Different Levels of Porosity

Abstract

Porous starches are attracting much attention owing to their adsorption ability of different compounds. However, only their granular structure have been exploited. The objective of the present research is to analyze the structure and properties of the gels obtained from porous starches having diverse degree of porosity (0–15%). Gels are obtained from corn starches with different degree of porosity and their microstructure, gel rheology, hardness, and syneresis during storage is determine. SEM micrographs revealed honeycomb structures with diverse size and number of holes depending on the porosity of the initial porous starches. In addition, when increasing porosity, gels showed lower viscoelasticity, decreasing G′ and G″ and leading to low elastic gels, with also soft texture. Syneresis of starches is accelerate during the storage of the samples during the first week. However, no significant differences are observe during the second week. Therefore, porous starches with diverse porosity offer an attractive alternative to obtain hydrogels with diverse network matrix.