The supporting effect of ultrasound on the acid hydrolysis of granular potato starch

•US modification controllable by cycle, amplitude and application duration.•US preferentially causes a debranching of the AP fraction.•AT effectuates molecular cleavage of both polysaccharide fractions.•US assisted AT presumably cumulatively compounded effect of each modification.•US assistance of AT causes extraordinary improvement of the gelation properties. The modification of starch owing to acid-thinning (AT) is intensified by a concomitant ultrasound (US) treatment, but the specific effect of the US on molecular changes, and the respective contribution of the single impacts are still unknown. The present study investigates the supporting effect of the US via examination and comparison of the single modifications [general conditions: starch slurry (40 % w/w), 40 °C, stirring; US: gradation of amplitude (50 and 100 %), cycle (0.50 and 0.75) and sonication time (20 and 60 min); AT: 0.36 M HCl, reaction time of 4 h] with the corresponding US assisted AT modified starches (US-AT) in terms of granular, molecular and functional properties. The US induced essentially a molecular degradation (debranching) of the amylopectin (AP), whereas chain cleavage within the amylose (AM) wasn’t excluded completely. Altogether, the US was estimated to be a separate and assisting modification rather than an AT accelerating component.