Characterization of Starch Properties in Diverse Pea Accessions: Structural, Morphological, Thermal, Pasting, and Retrogradation Analysis

The present work evaluates starch from 29 diverse pea accessions for structural (amylose content and amylopectin chain length distribution), granule size distribution, thermal, pasting, and retrogradation properties. Amylose content and the proportion of amylopectin chains with the degree of polymerization (DP) of 6–10, 11–20, and >20 vary in the range from 21.4% to 57.0%, 17.9% to 25.8%, 64.0% to 66.5%, and 9.4% to 16.7%, respectively. Starches with a higher proportion of small granules (<5 µm) have a greater proportion of amylopectin chains with DP > 10 and exhibit higher transition temperatures/enthalpy and vice versa. Retrogradation in starch pastes relates negatively to the proportion of amylopectin chains with DP < 10. Paste viscosities relate negatively with amylopectin chains with DP > 10, amylose content, and retrogradation while positively with transition temperatures/enthalpy and the potential of granules to swell.