Comparison of waxy potato with other root and tuber starches

The physicochemical properties of normal potato, waxy potato, yam and sweet potato starches were examined and compared. Normal potato and waxy potato starches displayed the B-type X-ray diffraction pattern, whereas yam and sweet potato displayed the CA- and C-type, respectively. X-ray patterns of Naegeli dextrins of normal potato and waxy potato remained the B-type, but those of yam and sweet potato changed to the A-type. 31P NMR showed the phosphorus contents of the starches to be primarily phosphate monoesters with no detectable phospholipid in any of the four starches. The chain-length distributions of debranched amylopectins of the starches were analyzed using high performance anionexchange chromatography equipped with a post-column amyloglucosidase reactor and a pulsed amperometric detector. Normal potato and waxy potato starches displayed lower proportions (13 and 14.8%, respectively) of short branch chains of chain length dp 6¯12 than did yam and sweet potato starches (17.1 and 19.0%, respectively). Normal potato displayed a larger proportion of long branch chains than did waxy potato amylopectin. The average amylopectin branch chain lengths of normal potato, waxy potato, yam and sweet potato starches were dp 28.6, 25.8, 25.8 and 26.3, respectively. The Naegeli dextrins of all four starches displayed linear and singly branched chains, but no multiply branched chains. The Naegeli dextrins of normal potato, waxy potato, yam and sweet potato starches displayed ratios of branched to linear branch chains of 0.31, 0.36, 0.42 and 0.51, respectively. The absolute amylose contents of the four starches were normal potato, 18.3%; waxy potato, 0%; yam, 17.7%; and sweet potato, 22.8%.