Study of cryostructuration of polymer systems. XXI. Cryotropic gel formation of the water–maltodextrin systems

Abstract

Abstract The freeze–thaw behavior of water solutions containing dissolved maltodextrin (MD; enzymatically converted potato starch derivative with MW of 8000 Da) over a wide range of MD concentration (0.1–15 g/dL) and freezing temperatures from −24 to −6°C was studied. Cryogenic treatment of these systems resulted in the formation of precipitates or gels, whose yield and thermal characteristics (fusion temperature and enthalpy) depended on the initial polymer concentration and conditions of freezing, frozen storage, and thawing. There appeared to be at least two stages to this process: (i) a rapid stage, when partial insolubilization occurred while the system was freezing, and (ii) a slower stage, the rate of which was dependent mainly on the thawing regimes used or the duration of storage at subzero temperatures. In this respect, the cryostructuration of MD was very similar to the freeze–thaw behavior of amylopectin/amylose and locust bean gum water solutions studied earlier. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 1658–1667, 2002