title: Plantain and banana starches: granule structural characteristics explain the differences in their starch degradation patterns.
abstract: Different banana cultivars were used to investigate the influences of starch granule structure and hydrolases on degradation. The highest degrees of starch degradation were observed in dessert bananas during ripening. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed smooth granule surface in the green stage in all cultivars, except for Mysore. The small and round granules were preferentially degraded in all of the cultivars. Terra demonstrated a higher degree of crystallinity and a short amylopectin chain length distribution, resulting in high starch content in the ripe stage. Amylose content and the crystallinity index were more strongly correlated than the distribution of amylopectin branch chain lengths in banana starches. α- and β-amylase activities were found in both forms, soluble in the pulp and associated with the starch granule. Starch-phosphorylase was not found in Mysore. On the basis of the profile of α-amylase in vitro digestion and the structural characteristics, it could be concluded that the starch of plantains has an arrangement of granules more resistant to enzymes than the starch of dessert bananas.
authors: Laboratório de Química, Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular de Alimentos, Departamento de Alimentos e Nutrição Experimental, FCF, Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Lineu Prestes 580, Bloco 14, CEP 05508-900, São Paulo (SP), Brazil.
authors: Claudinéia Aparecida
authors: CA
authors: Soares
authors: Fernanda Helena Gonçalves
authors: FH
authors: Peroni-Okita
authors: Mateus Borba
authors: MB
authors: Cardoso
authors: Renata
authors: R
authors: Shitakubo
authors: Franco Maria
authors: FM
authors: Lajolo
authors: Beatriz Rosana
authors: BR
authors: Cordenunsi