Homogenization-induced degradation of hydrophobically modified starch determined by asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation and multi-angle light scattering

High-pressure homogenization of modified starches is a type of treatment used within the food and pharmaceutical industry for the production of emulsions. Such intense mechanical treatment may, however, influence the size and size distribution of the starch polymer, which may affect the properties of the emulsions. In this work, asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AsFIFFF) connected on-line to a multi-angle light scattering detector (MALS) was used to study the influence of high-pressure homogenization upon molar mass and root-mean-square (r.m.s.) radius of three different octenyl succinate anhydride (OSA) starch samples originating from potato. The homogenization at constant pressure resulted in a significant decrease of both molar mass and r.m.s. radius. The magnitude of the change in molar mass and r.m.s. radius could be correlated to the initial size of the OSA starch and the energy dissipation rate of the homogenization treatment.