Measurement of Starch: Critical Evaluation of Current Methodology

Abstract

Most commonly used methods for the measurement of starch in food, feeds, and ingredients employ the combined action of α-amylase and amyloglucosidase to hydrolyze the starch to glucose, followed by glucose determination with a glucose oxidase/peroxidase reagent. Recently, a number of questions have been raised concerning possible complications in starch analytical methods. In this paper, each of these concerns, including starch hydrolysis, isomerization of maltose to maltulose, effective hydrolysis of maltodextrins by amyloglucosidase, enzyme purity and hydrolysis of sucrose, and β-glucans have been studied in detailed. Results obtained for a range of starch containing samples using AOAC Methods 996.11 and 2014.10 are compared and a new simpler format for starch measurement is introduced. With this method that employs a thermostable α-amylase (as distinct from a heat stable α-amylase) which is both stable and active at 100 C and pH 5.0, 10 samples can be analyzed within 2 h, as compared to the 6 h required with AOAC Method 2014.10.

Total and resistant starch from foodstuff for animal and human consumption in Costa Rica

“…Most starch is storage starch form non-photosynthetic plant structures ( Pfister and Zeeman, 2016 ). Additionally, structures such as phytoglycogen are also assessed during the starch analysis ( McCleary et al., 2019 ; Pfister and Zeeman, 2016 ). In the case of compound feed, since vegetable sources are majoritarian, animal protein sources, and even yeast and bacteria can be deliberately added as feed supplements due to their probiotic and antimicrobial activities ( Hatoum et al., 2012 ).…”

“…Starch is one of the most significant sources of energy in diets ( Slavin and Carlsson, 2014 ). It is enzymatically hydrolyzed in the animal and human small intestine ( McCleary et al., 2019 ; Slavin and Carlsson, 2014 ). As such, it is an essential nutrient that is monitored in feed and foodstuff.…”

“…Starch comprises a significant portion of many foods and feeds; hence, measuring starch in feedstuff is paramount to a nutritionist during diet formulation. So much so, that, several papers have reviewed the relevance and the peculiarities among the available methods for in animal feeds and feedstuffs ( Hall et al., 2000 ; Hall 2015 ; McCleary et al., 2019 ).…”

Influences of water management combined with organic mulching on taro plant growth and corm nutrition

“…However, the total carbohydrates could be divided into two parts: starch and sugar (Khan et al, 2014;Kiran Kumar & Sandeep, 2016). In this study, the starch content of the corm was determined by using the modified AOAC method 996.11 (McCleary et al, 2019), and then, the sugar content was obtained by subtracting the starch content from the total carbohydrate content. The starch content was measured by the following procedure.…”

A Comparative Analysis of Methods for Quantitation of Sugars during the Corn-to-Ethanol Fermentation Process

“…Megazyme Assay kits and enzymes produced by Megazyme have been used in research for the quantitation of saccharides or for enzymatic conversion/digestion to produce other components. [23][24][25][26][27] Additionally, glucose oxidase and peroxidase enzymes are commonly used for glucose determination. 23,[28][29][30] Assays utilizing GOPOD solution (steps a7-a10 in the K-TSTA-100A manufacturer's procedure) quantify glucose based on the production of a dye that absorbs in the UV-Vis range.…”