Effect of Amylose-Amylopectin Ratio on the Structure of Starch Granules of Selected Rice Varieties

Amylose content is considered to be one of the most important quality traits which affect both the processing and cooking characteristics of rice. In the present study two types of rice cultivars were used "Cheruvally and D1" to investigate the influence of amylose-amylopectin ratio on the granular structure of starch. Both varieties were cold soaked (12 hours) and hot soaked (70°C for 3 hours). Amylose content was determined spectrophotometrically and morphological characteristics of starch granules were determined by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Data collected were tabulated and consolidated. The density of cold and hot soaked paddy had increased and among the rice varieties analyzed for amylose content, the total amylose content ranges in the order of Cold soaked > Hot soaked > Raw paddy. The SEM Micrograph revealed that the granular structure was lost for both cold soaked and hot soaked rice varieties due to hydration and heating.