Characterization of Starch from Maize Endosperm Mutants

Abstract

Abstract Some maize endosperm mutants have branched‐chain starch components with long exterior chains which make the blue‐value procedure for estimating amylose content questionable. Gel filtration was used to estimate starch composition of normal, high‐amylose, waxy and other maize endosperm mutants. Loosely‐branched polymers appeared responsible for the apparent amylose content. In some mutants high and intermediate loosely branched polysaccharides were found in addition to amylose. The sweet corn background of some endosperm genotypes influenced the types of polymers produced compared to the dent backgrounds used by previous researchers.