Distribution of methyl substituents in amylose and amylopectin from methylated potato starches.

Granular potato starches were methylated in aqueous suspension with dimethyl sulfate to molar substitution (MS) values up to 0.29. Fractions containing mainly amylose or amylopectin were obtained after aqueous leaching of the derivatised starch granules. Amylopectin in these fractions was precipitated with Concanavalin A to separate it from amylose. Amylose remained in solution and was enzymatically converted into D-glucose for quantification, thereby taking into account the decreased digestibility due to the presence of methyl substituents. It was found that the MS of amylose was 1.6-1.9 times higher than that of amylopectin in methylated starch granules. The distributions of methyl substituents in trimers and tetramers, prepared from amylose- or amylopectin-enriched fractions, were determined by FAB mass spectrometry and compared with the outcome of a statistically random distribution. It turned out that substituents in amylopectin were distributed heterogeneously, whereas substitution of amylose was almost random. The results are rationalised on the basis of an organised framework that is built up from amylopectin side chains. The crystalline lamellae are less accessible for substitution than amorphous branching points and amylose.