Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University, 1945. / "Lithoprinted." Vita. Bibliography: p. 55-56.

Thesis (D. Sc.)--University of Adelaide, 1989. / Collection of the author's previous publications. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (doctoral)--Helsinki University of Technology, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.

Master of Science / Department of Grain Science and Industry / Yong Cheng Shi / Resistant starch (RS) is notable for having several health benefits in humans, including glucose control and intestinal well-being. Pullulanase is able to debranch amylopectin and result in higher RS content. Different levels of pullulanase have been used to debranch waxy maize starch in the literature, but the changes of structure during debranching are well documented. In this study, waxy maize starch was cooked and debranched by pullulanase with 80, 160 and 240 New Pullulanase Unit Novo (NPUN)/g starch pullulanase. One NPUN was defined as the amount of enzyme, which, under standard conditions, hydrolyzes pullulan, liberating reducing carbohydrate with reducing power equivalent to 1 µmole glucose per minute. The structure of waxy maize starch during debranching was investigated and the digestibility of the debranched products was measured. When pullulanase was increased from 80 to 240 NPUN/g, more amylopectin was debranched in the same debranching time, and the degree of crystallinity and the RS content increased. After the debranched starches were crystallized at 25°C for 24 hours, the RS contents were greater than 63%. When heated and recrystallized under highly regulated conditions, the linear material formed crystallites of a range of geometries, including spherulites of a highly organized structure. Debranched waxy maize starches were used to produce crystalline structure under four conditions: spherulites formed by adding ethanol and crystallized at 4°C (ES4); spherulites formed in water (WS4) at 4°C; particles formed at 50°C (WS50); and spherulites formed at 50°C then further precipitated at 4°C (WS50-4). Spherulites formed at 50°C (WS50) had a higher proportion of smaller molecules than existed in the parent starch (Rh<15nm). ES4 and WS4 were B-type crystalline structure; whereasWS50 and WS50-4 were A-type crystalline structure. ES4 had a larger proportion of molecules with a low degree of polymerization and the RS content was also the lowest of the four samples. With cooling from 50°C to 4°C (WS50-4), the RS content was increased from 60% to 73%. ES4 and WS50-4 contained particles with spherical symmetry and WS4 had partial radial symmetry with some distortions, whereas WS50 displayed oblate particles with a parallel crystal structure.

The interest in study of resistant starch in the pig nutrition is increasing. This experiment was done to evaluate resistant starch content in maize/corn by using an in vitro method. A total of 27 varieties of corn were used in this trial to determine the evaluation of in vitro resistant starch (RS); in vitro non-resistant starch (NRS); in vitro total starch (TS); dry matter (DM); ash and organic matter (OM). All treatments of corn samples were carried out in triplicates. In vitro determination of RS, NRS and TS were determined directly before the spectrophotometer reading with a wavelength of 510 nm. In vitro RS, NRS and TS ranged from 0.56 – 1.98%, 22.11 – 52.33% and 22.69 – 54.27% respectively; DM, Ash and OM ranged from 85.71 – 95.34%, 1.1 – 1.85% and 98.15 – 98.9% respectively. In RS, 424L and 5660 (P/≤/0.05); in NRS, 652N and MC 4050 (P/≤/0.01; in TS, 652N, MC 4050 and 424L (P/≤/0.01, 0.01 and 0.05 respectively); and in DM, 590 (P/≤/0.05). Results indicated that varieties of corn used may be low in amylose content because the RS values were negligible (≤ 1%) giving MC 5800 and 652N as the lowest RS values suitable for growing pigs. Further work is needed to validate these results. Keywords: In vitro; Resistant starch; Corn samples; Non-resistant starch; Total starch; Spectrophotometer

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1985 Y67 / Master of Science

Historically, earth ovens have been used to provide direct evidence of ancient plant use through the recovery of charred macrobotanical remains and indirectly by means of experimental archaeology and the ethnographic record. Experiments suggest that direct evidence of ancient starch-rich plant use can be obtained through the recovery of starch granules deposited on fire-cracked-rock (FCR) during cooking episodes even in regions where macrobotanical remains are scarcely preserved. Starch contamination, however, can enter into the archaeological record providing “background noise.” Therefore, this study analyzes the results of the Paluxy Sand Geophyte Project to determine if archaeological starch (starch that is both cultural and ancient in origin) can be differentiated from contamination using FCR recovered from heating elements in well-preserved earth ovens at Fort Hood, Texas. FCR, non-cultural rock control samples (RCS), and air control samples (ACS) were processed and analyzed from 27 earth ovens at 6 sites. Contamination control measures were used, including the use of a clean bench, powder-free latex gloves, washing samples prior to processing, spot sampling, and comparisons between starch granule assemblages recovered from FCR and control samples. Laboratory and field equipment were processed and analyzed for contamination. Only one feature (Feature 4 from 41CV984) yielded starch granules that are unambiguously archaeological in origin, rather than the result of contamination, whereas starch assemblages from the other sites could be archaeological or contamination in origin. Small sample sizes, differential preservation, and/or the cooking of non-starch-rich plants could account for the lack of differences between FCR and RCS samples. Finally, maize (Zea mays) starch granules were recovered from all sample types suggesting that maize starch, most likely from “powder-free” gloves and air-fall is a significant source of starch contamination.

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Call number: LD2668 .T4 1939 B71 / Master of Science

LD2668 .T4 1941 W31 / Master of Science