Abstract: As a renewable green biological resource, starch deserves to be researched and has the potential to be widely applied. However, native starch has limited applications because of its shortcomings in structure and properties. Accordingly, modifying native starch by various methods has become a hot topic among researchers. Although the chemical and enzymatic method are currently commonly used for starch modification, many problems such as low reaction rate, environmental pollution and the complex process have been encountered during their application. This article describes a new method for starch modification, microwave irradiation. Herein, we present a systematic review of the mechanism of action of microwave irradiation on starch and its effect on the structure (granular morphology, crystal structure and chemical bonds), physicochemical properties (solubility, swelling power, pasting properties, thermal properties and digestibility) and safety of starch. The current status and future perspectives of microwave irradiation in starch modification and starchy food processing are discussed.

Key words: microwave, starch, dielectric properties, molecular structure, free radicals