Abstract
Starch is used in food-and non-food applications as a renewable and degradable source of carbon and energy. Insight into the chemical detail of starch degradation remains challenging as the starch constituents amylose and amylopectin are homopolymers. We show that considerable molecular detail of starch fragmentation can be obtained from multivariate analysis of spectral features in optimized 1H-13C NMR spectroscopy of starch fragments to identify relevant features that distinguish processes in starch utilization. As a case study, we compare the profiles of starch fragments in commercial beer samples. Spectroscopic profiles of homooligomeric starch fragments can be excellent indicators of process conditions. In addition, differences in the structure and composition of starch fragments have predictive value for down-stream process output such as ethanol production from starch. Thus, high-resolution 1H-13C NMR spectroscopic profiles of homooligomeric fragment mixtures in conjunction with chemometric methods provide a useful addition to the analytical chemistry toolbox of biotechnologi-cal starch utilization.
Info
Journal Article, 2016
UN SDG Classification
DK Main Research Area
Science/Technology
