Native and modified starches in meat products – detection of raw materials using microscopy methods

Starches are an important natural constituent of many food commodities that significantly influence or determine their texture and functional properties. We find various types of starches in meat products, in this country primarily potato, maize and wheat starch and various forms of modifications of them. In this study, we examined the analysis of native and modified starches isolated from potatoes and maize using light and scanning electron microscopy. Individual starches are characterised by their shape and size. Light microscopy is a useful tool for species identification of native starches based on their size and shape, though light microscopy is inappropriate for the detection of certain modified starches, while examination in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) provides much clearer information about their morphology, even in the case of highly soluble modified starches. SEM is capable of differentiating native starches from modified starches and may, therefore, serve as a tool for the control of raw materials for producers who produce “additive-free foodstuffs” (foods without E numbers).