ABSTRACT
Polysaccharides are the most abundant complex carbohydrates in nature, and constitute important parts of plant foods consumed by humans and livestock. They may be conveniently divided into two main groups: starches and nonstarch polysaccharides. Starch is the main constituent of seeds of cereals (wheat, barley, corn, and rice), legumes (peas), and grasses, and of the tubers (potatoes) and roots (tapioca) of some herbaceous plants. This material, in conjunction with some protein and lipid materials, composes the storage tissues of edible seeds and represents around three quarters of the calories consumed by human beings. The general feature of all starches is the gelatinization process, which gives starch unique functional properties as a food texturer.
