Effect of Hydration, Gelatinization and Ball Milling of Starch on Growth and Energy Utilization by the Chick

INTRODUCTION BOOHER et al. (1951) fed rats unmodified starches from widely different sources and showed that their digestibility was highly variable. Starches from cereal grains and cassava root were highly digestible while those from arrow root, white potato and sago palm were poorly digested. The high degree of digestibility exhibited by raw wheat starch was not modified by partial hydrolysis with hydrochloric acid or oxidation with hypochlorite. On the other hand, raw starches that were poorly digested were improved by hydration that disrupted the organized nature of the starch granules. This disruption of organized structure was accomplished by gelatinization as a result of cooking or by dexrinization as a result of chemical or enzymatic hydrolysis. Similar results have been obtained by Sakurai et al. (1951). In a series of digestibility trials with chickens, Halnan (1944) found that raw potatoes were poorly utilized because the starch escaped digestion. Boiled potatoes were…