Abstract: Cassava starch, maize starch and indica rice starch with 6% water content were mechanically treated with a ball mill. The effect of ball milling treatment on physicochemical properties of starch was explored. Results showed that prolonged ball milling treatment time could result in the damage of starch granules and the gradual decrease of particle size, thus causing the increase of reducing power, cold-water solubility and transparency as well as the decrease of apparent viscosity and crystallinity. Cold-water solubility, transparency and apparent viscosity of three kinds of starches with identical ball milling treatment time revealed a significant difference (P＜0.05). Reducing power did not significantly differ between maize starch and indica rice starch during the first 75 h of treatment, however, a significant difference (P＜0.05) at 100 h treatment was observed. Moreover, ball-milling treatment had the most obvious effect on physico-chemical properties of indica rice starch in comparison with cassava and maize starches.

Key words: ball milling, starch, physico-chemical property, water content