Thermoproteus uzoniensis 4-α-glucanotransferase catalyzed production of a thermo-reversible potato starch gel with superior rheological properties and freeze-thaw stability

Solid-liquid thermo-reversibility, lacking in raw starch is an important property for gels allowing repeated thermal processing in food. In this work, the Thermoproteus uzoniensis 4-α-glucanotransferase (TuαGT) was used to modify five different starches from potato, corn, rice, wheat, and pea and the thermo-reversibility of the modified starch gels was evaluated by rheological assay. Only modified potato starch (MPS) exhibited thermo-reversibility, which prompted us to perform detailed analyses of the structural and gel properties of this product. The enzymatic modification resulted in a marked decrease in amylopectin side chains with a degree of polymerization (DP) < 23, while the contents of side chains with DP 23–43 increased. These data indicated that TuαGT preferentially extended the outer chains of amylopectin using amylose as a donor, which resulted in 17% increase in the amylopectin molecular weight to 3.0 × 10⁷ g/mol. Notably, MPS displayed a delayed retrogradation and improved stability in four freeze-thaw cycles (−70 °C and 25 °C) as compared to the native starch. These analyses supported a model to explain the TuαGT catalyzed conversion of potato starch to a thermo-reversible product. Importantly, the MPS thermo-reversible 6% (w/v) gel showed comparable rheological properties to a 1.5% (w/v) κ-carrageenan hydrocolloid, highlighting the potential of MPS as a substitute to κ-carrageenan and other hydrocolloids of emerging health concerns. This work offers a starch based thermo-reversible gel and a methodological framework to broadens the use of starch into novel application as a food ingredient.