BACKGROUND Starch is a main source of glucose and energy in the human diet. The extent to which it is digested in the gastrointestinal tract plays a major role in variations in postprandial blood glucose levels. Interactions with other biopolymers, such as dairy proteins, during processing can influence both the duration and extent of this postprandial surge. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect ...

Maize is one of the important cereal crops in the world agricultural economy both as food grains for human and fodder and feed for cattle and poultry. Maize grain contains about 72% starch, 10% protein, 4.8% oil, 5.8% fiber, 3.0% sugar and 1.7% ash (Choudhary, 1993). Along with this, it is rich in vitamin A, vitamin E, nicotinic acid, riboflavin and contains fairly high phosphorus than rice and...

Presently there is increased interest in studying and improving crops for production of bio-fuels. Improving starch concentration in maize (Zea mays L.) would likely be a great asset for the ethanol industry. From the cross of the high starch maize line Illinois Low Protein cycle 90 (ILP) × B73 backcrossed to B73, 150 S1, 138 S3, and 138 S3 testcross lines were developed. Transcript profiling a...

The amylose extender (ae(-)) mutant of maize lacks starch branching enzyme IIb (SBEIIb) activity, resulting in amylopectin with reduced branch point frequency, and longer glucan chains. Recent studies indicate isozymes of soluble starch synthases form high molecular weight complexes with SBEII isoforms. This study investigated the effect of the loss of SBEIIb activity on interactions between st...

Purple sweet potato starch is a potential resource for resistant starch production. The effects of heat-moisture treatment (HMT) and enzyme debranching combined heat-moisture treatment (EHMT) on the morphological, crystallinity and thermal properties of PSP starches were investigated. The results indicated that, after HMT or EHMT treatments, native starch granules with smooth surface was destro...

I n the experiment reported here an attempt has been made to determine whether rats offered a free choice between two compound diets, identical except in their starch content and both deficient in the vitamin B complex, would select the one on which they could synthesize the required vitamins by refection. In the process of refection, first investigated by Fridericia (1926), rats are able to ut...

The maize (Zea mays) kernel plays a critical role in feeding humans and livestock around the world and in a wide array of industrial applications. An understanding of the regulation of kernel starch, protein, and oil is needed in order to manipulate composition to meet future needs. We conducted joint-linkage quantitative trait locus mapping and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for kernel...

Tissue distribution and activity of enzymes involved in sucrose and hexose metabolism were examined in kernels of two inbreds of maize (Zea mays L.) at progressive stages of development. Levels of sugars and starch were also quantitated throughout development. Enzyme activities studied were: ATP-linked fructokinase, UTP-linked fructokinase, ATP-linked glucokinase, sucrose synthase, UDP-Glc pyro...

Maize kernels are susceptible to infection by the opportunistic pathogen Aspergillus flavus. Infection results in reduction of grain quality and contamination of kernels with the highly carcinogenic mycotoxin, aflatoxin. To understanding host response to infection by the fungus, transcription of approximately 9000 maize genes were monitored during the host-pathogen interaction with a custom des...

Rice waxy gene codes for the starch granule-bound starch synthase (EC 2.4.1.11) (1). To characterize its molecular structure, a rice {Oryza sativa subsp. japonica Hengfeng cultivar) genomic library was constructed in XEMBL-3 vector. Two overlapping genomic clones containing waxy gene sequence were screened and identified from this library by using maize waxy gene DNA as probe (kindly provided b...