The present invention relates specifically to starch products and starch compositions useful for thickening aqueous liquids, for example, for use by people suffering from dysphagia. In one aspect, the invention provides a pregelatinized, hydroxypropylated starch, having a level of hydroxypropylation in the range of about 1% to about 10%; an RVA viscosity in the range of about 400 cP to about 3500 cP; wherein the pregelatinized, hydroxypropylated starch is readily dispersible in milk. Another aspect provides a provides a pregelatinized, hydroxypropylated starch, having a level of hydroxypropylation in the range of about 1% to about 10%; and an RVA viscosity in the range of about 400 cP to about 3500 cP; and less than about 80%> of the surface protein of the corresponding native starch.

A process for the manufacture of an acylated polymer composition including amylose and/or amylopectin, including a pre-treatment step in the presence of an acid and a hydroxycarboxylic acid, subsequent acylation and, preferably, a post-treatment step with an acid. The products obtained are useful as additives in inks, varnishes, lacquers, coatings, thickeners, adhesives or binders.

A process for the manufacture of an acylated polymer composition including amylose and/or amylopectin, including a pre-treatment step in the presence of an acid and a hydroxycarboxylic acid, subsequent acylation and, preferably, a post-treatment step with an acid. The products obtained are useful as additives in inks, varnishes, lacquers, coatings, thickeners, adhesives or binders.

The invention discloses a method for adsorbing ethylene gas using amorphous granular starch. The method firstly prepares amorphous granular starch, wherein starch slurry is prepared from starch with a ethanol aqueous solution and NaOH solution is added dropwise so as to react at 30 to 35 C. for 20 to 50 minutes; Then the slurry is centrifuged, neutralized with an ethanol hydrochloride solution, washed and dried to obtain the amorphous granular starch. The amorphous granular starch is placed in a high-pressure reactor and ethylene gas is introduced after the reactor is vacuumized to react at 0.8 to 1.5 Mpa and 20 to 30 C. for 15 to 25 h so that starch powder product adsorbing with ethylene is obtained. The test result shows that the content of ethylene in the obtained product can reach more than 30%. The method is simple, highly efficient and cheap for the adsorption process of ethylene, and the product is expected to be widely applied in the field of fruit and vegetable modified atmosphere preservation.

The invention discloses a method for adsorbing ethylene gas using amorphous granular starch. The method firstly prepares amorphous granular starch, wherein starch slurry is prepared from starch with a ethanol aqueous solution and NaOH solution is added dropwise so as to react at 30 to 35 C. for 20 to 50 minutes; Then the slurry is centrifuged, neutralized with an ethanol hydrochloride solution, washed and dried to obtain the amorphous granular starch. The amorphous granular starch is placed in a high-pressure reactor and ethylene gas is introduced after the reactor is vacuumized to react at 0.8 to 1.5 Mpa and 20 to 30 C. for 15 to 25 h so that starch powder product adsorbing with ethylene is obtained. The test result shows that the content of ethylene in the obtained product can reach more than 30%. The method is simple, highly efficient and cheap for the adsorption process of ethylene, and the product is expected to be widely applied in the field of fruit and vegetable modified atmosphere preservation.

A delivery device for an active agent comprises nanoparticles based on a biopolymer such as starch. The delivery device may also be in the form of an aptamer-biopolymer-active agent conjugate wherein the aptamer targets the device for the treatment of specific disorders. The nanoparticles may be made by applying a high shear force in the presence of a crosslinker. The particles may be predominantly in the range of 50-150 nm and form a colloidal dispersion of crosslinked hydrogel particles in water. The biopolymer may be functionalized. The aptamer may be conjugated directly to the cross-linked biopolymers. The active agent may be a drug useful for the treatment of cancer. The delivery device survives for a period of time in the body sufficient to allow for the sustained release of a drug and for the transportation and uptake of the conjugate into targeted cells. However, the biopolymer is biocompatible and resorbable.

The present disclosure is generally directed to biopolymers having coiled nanostructures, methods of making those biopolymers, and applications involving those biopolymers. Biopolymers having coiled nanostructures may be produced through a biophysical process by which the shape of a biopolymer macromolecular chain is altered. Biopolymers having coiled nanostructures may then be cross-linked to prepare biopolymeric networks. The biopolymeric networks may be configured to incorporate solid particles, in which they serve to hold the solid particles together against external stresses, solvents, and the like. For this reason, the biopolymers having coned nanostructures are useful in a variety of applications, including in an improved process for forming iron ore pellets.

The present disclosure discloses a fluorescent starch nanocrystal and a preparation method and application thereof. Mainly based on the character that starch nanocrystal has an active hydroxyl group on the surface, the present disclosure introduces fluorescein isothiocyanate into the surface of the starch nanocrystal in the form of stable covalent bonds through a two-step chemical modification method: silane coupling and electrophilic addition of fluorescein, so as to prepare the starch nanocrystal with fluorescent properties. The preparation process of the present disclosure is simple and easy to operate, uses cheap and readily available raw materials, involves low cost, and allows the non-fluorescent starch nanocrystal to produce significant fluorescent properties without affecting the properties of the starch nanocrystal itself, thereby expanding the application of starch. Moreover, the fluorescent starch nanocrystal thus obtained has significant fluorescent properties, good biocompatibility and biodegradability, has application prospects in the fields of biosensor preparation, bioimaging marking and fluorescent analysis and detection, and can be further prepared into a novel nano-fluorescent probe with organic nano-particles as the matrix.

The present disclosure discloses a fluorescent starch nanocrystal and a preparation method and application thereof. Mainly based on the character that starch nanocrystal has an active hydroxyl group on the surface, the present disclosure introduces fluorescein isothiocyanate into the surface of the starch nanocrystal in the form of stable covalent bonds through a two-step chemical modification method: silane coupling and electrophilic addition of fluorescein, so as to prepare the starch nanocrystal with fluorescent properties. The preparation process of the present disclosure is simple and easy to operate, uses cheap and readily available raw materials, involves low cost, and allows the non-fluorescent starch nanocrystal to produce significant fluorescent properties without affecting the properties of the starch nanocrystal itself, thereby expanding the application of starch. Moreover, the fluorescent starch nanocrystal thus obtained has significant fluorescent properties, good biocompatibility and biodegradability, has application prospects in the fields of biosensor preparation, bioimaging marking and fluorescent analysis and detection, and can be further prepared into a novel nano-fluorescent probe with organic nano-particles as the matrix.

The invention concerns a process for the manufacture of an acylated polymer composition comprising amylose and/or amylopectin, comprising a pre-treatment step in the presence of an acid and a hydroxycarboxylic acid, subsequent acylation and, preferably, a post-treatment step with an acid. The products obtained are useful as additives in inks, varnishes, lacquers, coatings, thickeners, adhesives or binders.