Effect of sugar alcohol on physicochemical properties of wheat starch

Effects of sugar alcohol (maltitol, erythritol, and xylitol) at different concentration levels (sugar alcohol/starch ratio 0.1:1, 0.2:1, 0.5:1, 1:1, 2:1, w/w, db) on the physicochemical properties of wheat starch were studied. The swelling power decreased significantly with sugar alcohols content increasing at 95 degrees C. Rapid visco-analyser (RVA) breakdown and setback of wheat starch decreased with increasing sugar alcohol content. Texture measurements showed that hardness of wheat starch gel rose with increasing content of sugar alcohols, indicating that sugar alcohols probably facilitated the retrogradation of amylose following the order of xylitol>maltitol>erythritol at a sugar alcohol/starch ratio of 2:1. The gelatinization temperature and enthalpy of wheat starch increased significantly at higher maltitol, erythritol, and xylitol concentrations (1:1). Such effects might be contributed to more hydrogen bonds formed between sugar alcohols hydroxyl groups and starch chains and the granule needed greater energy to break away during gelatinization.