Starch, a naturally abundant nutrient carbohydrate, can be found in almost all agricultural crops. Raw Starch does not have most of the characteristics demanded by food and non-food industries, hence it must be modified. To target Starch granules during its biosynthesis specifically, we have developed a novel platform technology called Starch Binding Domain technology (SBD). Luciferase reporter gene, Granule Bound Starch synthase I (GBSSI), and important genes involved in Starch biosynthesis were fused to the carboxyl (C) as well as the amino (N) terminal part of SBD. All genes were driven by the GBSSI promoter and targeting to the amyloplast was censured by the GBSSI transit peptide. Two different backgrounds, namely the mutant amf and wild type Kardal were transformed with Agrobactrium-mediated transformation. Luciferase was accumulated inside the granules when it was fused to the SBDs but luciferase alone did not. Expression of different fusion proteins resulted in new Starch phenotypes with new functionalities. Depending on the fusion protein, Starch properties such as amylose/amylopectin ratio, viscosity behaviour, and DSC characteristics changed. Moreover, in most cases fusion proteins expression resulted in new Starch phenotypes. We think that SBD technology can be developed into a true platform technology, in which SBDs can be fused to a large choice of effector proteins to generate potato Starches with new or improved functionalities.

BIONANOCOMPOSITE WERE OBTAINED VIA DISPERSION OF Starch NANOCRYSTALS (SNCS) AND SODIUM MONTMORILLONITE (NA+-MMT) EXFOLIATED NANO-PLATELETS IN A Starch BASED MATRIX. HOWEVER Starch USED IN A WIDE RANGE OF APPLICATION, THE POOR BARRIER PROPERTIES AND WEAK MECHANICAL STRENGTH HINDERS THE USE OF THIS MATERIAL AS FILMS FOR FOOD PACKAGING. BLENDING HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED AS AN IMPORTANT STRATEGY TO IMPROVE THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF THE Starch FILMS. IN THIS WORK, A NEW TYPE OF Starch-BASED NANOCOMPOSITES CONTAINING Starch, PVA, SNCS AND NA+-MMT WERE PREPARED AND CHARACTERIZED. THE SIZE OF SYNTHESIZED Starch NANOCRYSTALS WERE MEASURED BY DYNAMIC LIGHT SCATTERING (DLS). THE MECHANICAL AND THERMAL PROPERTIES OF NANOCOMPOSITES WERE INVESTIGATED BY USING TENSILE TEST AND THERMOGRAVIMETRIC ANALYSIS (TGA). THESE ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT THE BEST PROPERTIES OF THE NANOCOMPOSITES OBTAINED WHEN USING 3 WT% NANOFILLERS IN HYBRID FORM.

Starch IS DISTINGUISHED FOR ITS EXCELLENT BIOCOMPATIBILITY AND CONTROLLABLE BIODEGRADABILITY AND HAVE NEW USES IN SPECIALIZED TECHNICAL AREAS. HOWEVER, DESPITE OF WIDESPREAD USE IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY, THE USE OF Starch FILMS FOR FOOD PACKAGING HAS BEEN STRONGLY LIMITED BECAUSE OF THE POOR BARRIER PROPERTIES AND WEAK MECHANICAL STRENGTH [1]. Starch/Starch NANO CRYSTAL (SNC) BIO HYBRID NANO COMPOSITE FILMS WERE PREPARED WITH SNC AND Starch AQUEOUS SOLUTION [2]. IN THIS WORK, WE INCORPORATED SNC, WHICH WERE ACIDIC HYDROLYZED FROM POTATO Starch GRANULES, INTO WATERBORNE Starch SOLUTION IN DIFFERENT AMOUNT OF SNC. SNC SIZE WAS ABOUT 75±10 NM THAT DETERMINED BY USING DYNAMIC LIGHT SCATTERING (DLS). X-RAY DIFFRACTION PATTERNS SUGGESTED THAT EXFOLIATED NANO COMPOSITE COULD BE ACHIEVED. FURTHERMORE, THE TENSILE STRENGTH AND YOUNG’S MODULUS WERE IMPROVED NOTABLY, WHICH INCREASING SNC CONTENT. THE COMPLEXATION OF Starch WITH SNC WAS CONFIRMED BY DIFFERENTIAL SCANNING CALORIMETRY IN WHICH A SECOND GLASS TRANSITION WAS DETECTED AT HIGHER TEMPERATURES. BASED ON THE OBTAINED RESULTS, IT CAN BE INFERRED THAT THE Starch BASED BIO HYBRID FILMS ARE POTENTIAL MATERIALS TO BE USED IN FOOD PACKAGING TECHNOLOGY [3].