AMYLOPECTIN

Kyle Hench

Introduction to Amylopectin
Amylopectin is the main

component of starch (70-80%) Present in many staple foods, such as rice, wheat, and potatoes All green plants use amylopectin to store energy; mostly stored in fruit, roots, seeds Uses: food additive (thickener, stabilizer), papermaking, adhesives, clothing, packaging, biodegradable plastics

History
There are few known amylose

specific discoveries Starch was first extracted by the Ancient Egyptians to glue Papyrus The Romans used it for cosmetic purposes Glucose (a component of amylopectin) was first isolated in 1747 by Andreas Marggraf In 1913, E.T. Reichert identified 300 starch grain species

Structure
Polymer: Amylopectin
Variable chemical

Monomer: Glucose C6H12O6

formula due to branching Approximately (C6H10O5)n Homopolymer (single monomer)

Linear Form

Glucopyranose (isomer)

Structure (cont.)
-1,4 linked D-glucose -1,4,6 D-glucose branch points
Branching typically occurs every 24-30 monomer units

Amylose, the other component of starch, is similar to

amylopectin, but has no branching Unlike amylose, amylopectin can be broken down very quickly because enzymes can attach to the many end points Its stiffness is derived from its bulky, branching structure

Functional Groups
A glycosidic bond is a

special type of ether (-O-) bond that links carbohydrates Several alcohol groups surround the carbon ring Each glucose monomer of amylopectin contains a pyranose ring which consists of five carbon atoms and one oxygen atom; no double or triple bonds Most glucose monomers have a hydroxymethyl (CH2-OH) group

Formation and Decomposition

O

H 2O

Glycosidic bond

Amylopectin is a

Human salivary amylase

polysaccharide of glucose Formed in a condensation reaction Can be decomposed by Amylase, which breaks -1,4glycosidic bonds

Uses in the Natural World

Amylopectin is almost always

mixed with amylose in starch Plants store starch/amylopectin in organelles called amyloplasts Animals and plants can metabolize amylopectin to use its energy Amylopectin is fairly easy to break down due to branching Absurdly biodegradable Amylose is somewhat of an alternative

Industrial Applications
Papermaking Largest non-food use of amylopectin Paper may contain up to 7% amylopectin Adhesives Borax can form cross links with amylopectin in glue Clothing In the 16 to early 20th centuries, starch was used to stiffen clothes Biodegradable plastics Derived from renewable biomass sources, and degrade much faster than fossil-fuel plastics, some of which take 100 years or more to decompose Many bioplastics are made from amylopectin Candidates to replace petroleum based plastics

References
About.com. Starch and Starch Grain Analysis.

http://archaeology.about.com/od/sterms/qt/starches.htm (accessed Oct 14 2012). Eliasson, A. Starch in food structure, function and applications; Woodhead Publishing Limited: Cambridge, 2004. GMO Compass. Amylose, Amylopectin. http://www.gmocompass.org/eng/glossary/104.amylose_amylopectin_starch.ht ml (accessed Oct 14 2012). Hizukuri, S. S.; Relationship between the distribution of the chain length of amylopectin and the crystalline structure of starch granules Elsevier B.V. 1985, 141, 295306. Miles, M. J.; Morris, V. J.; Orford, P. D.; Ring, S. G.; The roles of amylose and amylopectin in the gelation and retrogradation of starch AFRC Food Research Institute 1985, 135, 271-281.