Abstract: The Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Rapid Visco-Analyzer (RVA) were used to determine the starch gelatinization characteristics during the growth of three sweetpotato cultivars. The results showed that the starch contents of three sweetpotato cultivars all decreased as growth progressed. Changes of the amylose content at different harvesting periods could be discriminated according to the cultivars. At the early harvests amylose contents of Xushu18 and Zheda9201 were relatively high, but those of Zhe3449 were low. As the growth duration prolonged, the peaks of DSC thermograms tended to occur at a low temperature and not to be so obtrusive with the increased width of the peak. Obvious decreases in values of onset, peak and conclusion temperatures, as well as enthalpy of phase transitions, were observed as growth time lengthened. The peak viscosities, as determined through RVA, showed a rising tendency as growth progressed. In addition, statistical analysis revealed that there were correlations between the amylose content and gelatinization characteristics to some extent, which were affected by genotypes evidently.

Key words: Sweetpotato[Ipomoeabatatas L. (Lam.)], Starch gelatinization characteristics, Growth duration, DSC, RVA