Cooking science
Starch gelatinisation
Heating starch in the presence of water destroys the ordered structure of the granule irreversibly, and the granule swells and takes up water.
What it depends on
-
Starch gelatinisation requires water activity.
Reasonable evidence
- Evidence type
- textbook statement
- Confidence
- high
- Sources
- Advances in Processing Techniques and Determinants of Sweet Potato Starch Gelatinization (Foods 14(4):545) 3.1. Moisture Content authoritative
-
Starch gelatinisation is governed by water dependence of gelatinisation.
Reasonable evidence
- Evidence type
- professional consensus
- Confidence
- high
- Sources
- New insights into gelatinization mechanisms of cereal endosperm starches (Scientific Reports 8:3011) Results and Discussion reputable
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-09
What follows it
-
Starch gelatinisation precedes starch pasting.
Reasonable evidence
- Evidence type
- textbook statement
- Confidence
- high
- Sources
- Physicochemical Characterization and Properties of Cassava Starch: A Review (Polymers 17(12):1663) 3.4. Pasting authoritative
-
Starch gelatinisation precedes starch retrogradation.
Reasonable evidence
- Evidence type
- textbook statement
- Confidence
- high
- Sources
- Physicochemical Characterization and Properties of Cassava Starch: A Review (Polymers 17(12):1663) 3.5. Retrogradation authoritative
What you notice
-
Starch gelatinisation increases viscosity.
Reasonable evidence
- Evidence type
- textbook statement
- Confidence
- high
- Sources
- Physicochemical Characterization and Properties of Cassava Starch: A Review (Polymers 17(12):1663) 3.3. Starch Gelatinization authoritative
- Applies
- Effect direction raises
Often confused with
-
Starch gelatinisation is distinct from starch pasting.
Reasonable evidence
- Evidence type
- textbook statement
- Confidence
- high
- Sources