Although the current work only reflects the basic characterizations of the crystal structure following ball-milling, based on a previous paper we were able to infer that this method induces the starch to change the spatial arrangement disorder of its amylopectin and amylose thus leading to the destruction of its crystalline

areas and promoting the amorphous areas in each granule [8]. The surface morphology buy GSI-IX of the cold soluble and insoluble starch granules treated with ball-milling in either ceramic or stainless steel pots are presented in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4. The untreated maize starch granules were either oval or polyhedral and had uniform surfaces and smooth yet slightly porous surfaces. These results are similar to previous reports on native maize starch [18]. After 5 h of ball-milling, the starch granules were subjected to various forces (such as compression, impact, shear, and attrition) to cause a further physical breakdown of the granules and produce a range of fractions. Results revealed that the surface of the starch granules across the range of fractions lost their smoothness and became rough with some debris. Among them, highly hydrated

gel-forming and low molecular weight soluble fractions are known to be more likely attacked more rapidly by α-amylase as compared to intact granules. Consequently, ball-milling significantly not only increased the CWS but also damaged the physical properties of the starch (Fig. 1 and Fig. 3). Clear fissures and grooves were observed on the surface of a large number of starch Gefitinib nmr granules and a few fragments peeled off from the outer layer of the starch granules imparting excessive roughness on their surfaces. These phenomena are similar to that reported by Dhital et al. [19] who also proposed that fissures on the granule surface facilitate enzymatic diffusion and increase susceptibility oxyclozanide to amylolysis. In addition, they hypothesized that these fragments would have more surface area per unit mass and would thus be

expected to be more rapidly hydrolyzed than intact granules due to the enzymes having an easier access to the inside of the native granules via pores and channels. The current results also found that the ball-milling operation increased the enzymatic availability within the granule fractions. Moreover, the starch granules were broken into smaller particle sizes and clumped together either into lumps or adhering to the surface of the larger granules. All the above variations indicate that significant changes occur in the internal structure of the granule during the milling process. Finally, the results also reveal that the integrity and granule periphery remained intact even after 5 h of ball-milling time, indicating the stability of the starches process by this method.