20th Annual Student Research Conference
Science
Determining Total Starch Variation in Exotic, High Amylose, Hybrid Corn using a Polarimeter Based Method
Anna T. O'Brien*, Kim R. Kruse, and Kelly R. Limberg
Dr. Mark Campbell, Faculty Mentor
Starch is composed mainly of amylose and amylopectin. Maize varieties high in amylose are of interest because they are used in adhesives, biodegradable plastics and resistant starch for the food industry. The main problem with high-amylose corn is that as the proportion of amylose is raised the total amount of starch within the corn decreases. Also as the amount total starch decreases, the market price increases because it becomes a premium product. We have modified a Polarimeter-based method for determining total starch in order to compared 41 different experimental high-amylose corn hybrids from the GEM (Germplasm Enhancement of Maize) Project, to see how much total starch they had. The corn was grown in the Truman State University 2006 summer nursery. Variations in total starch from these 41 corn experimental hybrids suggest it is possible to breed varieties that are high in both total starch and amylose.
Keywords: High Amylose Corn, Total Starch, GEM, Polarimeter
Topic(s):Agricultural Science
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 62-3
Location: VH 1432
Time: 3:15 pm