Supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) induced gelatinization of potato starch

The degree of gelatinization (DG) of potato starch after treatment with scCO₂ was investigated. A broad range of experimental conditions were applied, including variations in temperature (50–90 °C), pressure (0.1–25 MPa), and the starch water content (16.2–40% wt/wt). Changes in the DG were observed by in situ FT-IR measurements, DSC and confirmed by the XRD analysis. The DG increases at higher temperatures and pressures. A maximum DG of about 14% was achieved at the highest pressure (25 MPa) and temperature in the range (90 °C). A series of experiments under N₂ pressure confirms that scCO₂ plays a special role in the gelatinization process.