The determination of starch by acid hydrolysis

Abstract

Abstract Glucose is slowly destroyed when heated in neutral solution and the rate of destruction is accelerated by sulphuric acid, but to a much greater extent by hydrochloric acid. Sulphuric acid has therefore been chosen as a suitable starch‐hydrolysing agent and conditions of hydrolysis have been developed whereby starches may be estimated with a high degree of accuracy. A factor, which is almost unity, is used to correct for the loss of glucose by acid degradation. The method has been applied to potato amylose and amylopectin.