ABSTRACT
Starch is composed of amylose (15-25%) and amylopectin (75-85%). Amylose is a linear macromolecule consisting of 1,4-linked a-D-glucopyranose residues. The chain length varies from several hundred to 6000 residues. The direction of the chain is characterized by the reducing and the nonreducing end. The reducing end is formed by a free Cl hydroxyl group. Like amylose, amylopectin is composed of a-l,4-linked glucose molecules, but in addition branching points with a-1,6-linkages occur. The branching points occur at every 17-26 glucose molecules, so that the content of a-1,6-linkages in amylopectin is about 5%. Due to the molecular mass of 106 to 109, amylopectin is one of the largest biological molecules.
