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MATERIALS & METHODSCorn meal was extruded in a twin-screw extruder to study effects of one and two reverse-screw elements on conversion at extrusion temperatures < 60°C. Significant conversion was observed across the reverse-screw elements. The conversion was due to shear alone, since thermal effect was negligible at these low temperatures. Encompassing the reverse-screw elements were four visually distinct zones characterized by the state of the material.

Heated inulin solution undergoes a sol-gel transition during cooling and forms a white smooth gel under optimized conditions. The degree of gel formation is negatively related to hydrolysis of inulin during heating. Heating makes inulin soluble; overheating causes hydrolysis of dissolved inulin into smaller molecules. Using a 2-step model including a solubilization step and a hydrolysis of inulin step, we found that both steps follow pseudo first-order kinetics. Separate studies on initial rates of the solubilization and hydrolysis of inulin steps at constant temperatures show that the solubilization rate of inulin is much faster than that of the hydrolysis of inulin. Gel formation of inulin may be related to the average chain length of inulin after heating.

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DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimetry) peak temperature of starch was decreased by adding zein, but was increased by adding guar gum. Adding zein increased the initial rate of starch cooking, but adding guar gum decreased it. Kinetic studies were carried out at 115, 125, and 1358C. At 258C, zein absorbed less water than waxy corn starch, especially at water activities .0.6 where guar gum absorbed more water than starch. The strong binding of water by guar gum increased DSC-peak-temperature and decreased the initial rate of starch cooking. The relatively weak binding of water by zein decreased DSC peak temperature and increased the initial rate of starch cooking. Although water sorption data at cooking temperatures are difficult to measure, the kinetic data at these temperatures and DSC data could be used to supplement the sorption data.