Starch is a very important raw material for the industry. A lot of research is carried out worldwide to develop new starches and to explain the mechanisms behind their function in food products. Our research is focused on the chemical structure of starch in relation to its properties.
Starch can replace synthetic polymers made from fossil oils in future materials, such as for instance functional barriers and coatings in food-packaging. Development of sustainable materials made from starch requires knowledge about the relationship between starch molecular structure and material properties as well as on how processing affects starch structure.
The fine structure of starch is still not fully understood in spite of extensive worldwide research for many years. We use enzymes to reveal details about the branching pattern of amylopectin. This is important in order to understand biosynthesis and to be able to tailor starch for specific purposes in the future.
Areas of interest
Effects of starch processing on structure and molecular size.
Relationship between starch structure and starch film properties.
Elucidation of the fine structure of amylopectin.
Research group
Professor Per Åman
Associate professor Roger Andersson
Associate professor Kristine Koch
PhD student Anna Källman
PhD student Carolin Menzel
External funding
Vinnova and Theme-project industry-NL faculty (BarleyFunFood) are acknowledged for funding.
Key references
Bengtsson, M., Koch, K. and Gatenholm, P. Surface octanoylation of high-amylose potato starch films. Carbohydrate Polymers 54 (2003) 1-11
Altskär, A., Andersson, R., Boldizar, A., Koch, K., Stading, S., Rigdahl, M. and Thunwall, M. Some effects of processing on the molecular structure and morphology of thermoplastic starch. Carbohydrate Polymers 71 (2008) 591-597
Koch, K., Gillgren, T., Stading, M and Andersson, R. Mechanical and structural properties of solution-cast high-amylose starch films. Intern. J. Biolog. Macromol. 46 (2010) 13-19