INITIAL STAGES IN α-AMYLOLYSIS OF BARLEY STARCH

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Abstract
The initial stages in α-amylolysis of large and small barley starch granules were followed by gel chromatography. Hydrolysis of gelatinised large and small granules is very similar, indicating a similar structure of the individual components in the two starches. Amylolysis of intact large granules is quite different from that of intact small granules, suggesting differences in the mode of packing of the starch components within the granules. It is concluded that α-amylolysis is of a non-random nature, probably due to the amylopectin component of the starch. On the basis of the intermediate products obtained, a possible structure for the amylopectin molecule is presented, based on a unit cluster with a molecular weight of 3 × 104.