Food Chemistry
Amylopectin
The highly branched fraction of starch, with α-1,4 chains joined by α-1,6 branch points roughly every 20–25 units.
Real-life application
The branched starch that makes rice sticky and gives bread its soft crumb; waxy rice varieties are almost pure amylopectin.
Related terms
Amylose
Food ChemistryThe essentially linear fraction of starch, made of α-1,4-linked glucose units. Typically 20–30% of common starches.
Starch gelatinisation
Food ChemistryThe irreversible swelling of starch granules when heated in water above a characteristic temperature, in which the crystalline structure is lost, amylose leaches out and viscosity rises sharply.
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