Iodine addition proves to be an important diagnostic method
for starch characterization. Amylose absorbs up to 20% iodine
and stains blue. Bonding with lipids, especially mono- and
diglycerides, is a well-known property of amylose helix. The
configuration and structural indivisibility of amylose–lipid
complexes are affected by numerous factors such as temperature,
pH, fatty acid structure, or glyceride, as well as by the
contact time and/or agitation time between an amylose “carrier”
and a linked molecule. A developing complex can change the
features of starch. Bonding of amylose to fats or to food
emulsifiers such as mono- and diglycerides can change the
starch gelatinization temperature or the textural and viscous
profiles of the formed mass and can impede the retrogradation
process. After starch granules have been boiled, amylose possesses
a gel formation capacity that allows rebinding of the
dissolved amylose polymers. This property is noticeable in the
behavior of some kinds of amylose-rich starch (wheat, rice, and
high-amylose maize).