Primary and secondary dielectric relaxations in semi-crystalline and amorphous starch

The thermally stimulated depolarization current technique, TSDC, has been used to study the dielectric relaxations in cassava starch on semi-crystalline and amorphous samples. The A-type structure was observed by WAXS experiments and the variation of the crystallinity as a function of the moisture content, h, was followed on native starch. Retrogradation of the amorphous sample occurred at room temperature after 4 weeks in a closed vessel with a water activity 97.3%. In these conditions the humidity content reached a value of 28.5 wt% dry base and the crystallinity degree was comparable to that of the native starch. Three secondary relaxation modes were detected and attributed to short range orientations of polar groups and to main chain restricted motion. The influence of the moisture plasticization effect on the relaxation parameters of the local modes, was determined by decomposing the global TSDC curve in elementary Debye peaks with Arrhenius relaxation times. The main relaxation, α, which is proposed to be the dielectric manifestation of the dynamic glass transition, sweeps a wide temperature interval around room temperature as the sample dries, shifting to higher temperatures as a result of the plasticization of the polysaccharide by water molecules. The α peak deconvolution lead to the 2D relaxation time distribution and Vogel–Tammann–Fulcher parameters were obtained confirming the cooperative character of this mode. The transformed sample showed a bimodal distribution of segmental relaxation times that is interpreted as the existence of a heterogeneous amorphous phase: the mobile one which is similar to the original disordered phase present in semi-crystalline native starch and a more restricted one originated by the disruption of the crystalline lamellae during the pre-gelatinization process.