Physicochemical Characteristics of Acid Thinned and High Pressure Treated Waxy Rice Starch for Yugwa (Korean Rice Snack) Production

The acid modification of waxy rice starch was conducted to improve the yugwa production process. The intrinsic viscosity, paste viscosity, and differential scanning calorimetry characteristics of acid modified starch were measured, and bandaegi and yugwa prepared from acid modified starch were evaluated. The intrinsic viscosities of acid thinned starches were 1.48, 1.27, 1.15, and 0.91 mL/g after reaction times of 1, 2, 3, and 4 hr, respectively. The gelatinization enthalpy was reduced from 16.3 J/g in native starch to 15.8, 15.3, 14.7, and 14.5 J/g in acid thinned starches as the time of acid thinning increased. The peak viscosity and final viscosity decreased with increasing the time of acid thinning, but the pasting temperature was slightly increased in acid thinned starches. The hardness of bandaegi from acid thinned starches under high pressure greatly decreased relative to the control, typical yugwa. Yugwa from acid thinned starch under high pressure maintained a homogeneous structure containing tiny and uniform cells similar to that of native waxy rice starch used for typical yugwa. Acid thinning under high pressure appears to be a good alternative to the existing steeping process for better yugwa quality.