Some Properties of Starch Granules from the Endosperm of Germinating Barley Seeds

Some properties of starch isolated from the endosperm of germinating barley seeds were studied. 1) The size frequency distribution of starch granules showed that the granules with diameters larger than about 15μ were preferentially degraded and moreover the rate of degradation was higher than that of granules of any other size. It was apparent that the mean diameter of granules was at 15_??_20μ at all stages of germination. 2) Photopastegraphy of starch granules isolated at various stages of germination gave little changes from each other. Thus, it was unable to make a comparison of the degree of crystallinity of the starch granules. 3) Judging from the general properties of the starch and their separated fractions (e. g. the amylose content, blue value, λmax of the iodine complex, the β-amylolysis limit), it was postulated that preferential debranching of amylopectin might have occurred during the germination, leading to an increased content of the linear component with shorter chain lengths.