The Rapid Enzymatic Determination of Starch Damage in Flours from Sound and Rain Damaged Wheat

A starch damage analytical method for use on wheat flours has been developed which is rapid, simple in operation, analytically precise, and is independent of any α‐amylase present in flour, as when milled from rain damaged wheat. The new method is based on the use of an analytical grade fungal α‐amylase enzyme, which is shown to be free of contaminating amyloglucosidases, and α‐glucosidases which produce glucose rather than maltose. The level of analytical α‐amylase per starch damage determination was obtained by reference to thin layer chromatography of the hydrolysates so as to obtain maltose as the principal reducing sugar. This ensured that adequate but not excess analytical α‐amylase was present, as the undamaged starch granules are some what susceptible to α‐amylase.