Characterisation of starch quality from barley varieties grown in South Africa

Summary Starch is a major determinant of grain quality in cereals but the variation in starch structure has yet to be fully explored in its relation to processing impacts. This study examined the starch properties of South African grown malting barley varieties. Starch amounts, amylose content, covalently bound phosphate, starch granule size, starch molecular structure and pasting properties were examined. There was no difference in amylose content but there was variation in the amylose chain length distribution, despite all barleys showing similar granule parameters. The longer amylose chain length resulted in increased pasting temperature. There was no difference in phosphate content for these samples. Starch properties for the brewing industry are important in the context of the production of fermentable sugars. The variation in starch structure was not observed when measuring content and could impact on fermentation efficiency through variation in fermentable sugars hydrolysed from the starch.