What is Amylose?
Amylose is significant in the running of various biomedical industries. It is constituted by several monomers connected in a glycosidic type of bond. The major characteristics of this starch storing enzyme were noticed around the early forties. Since then, many researchers have used it vitally to study the nature of the straight-chained polymer.
The Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry has termed Amylose as D-Glucopyranan. The molecular mass of Amylose is subject to change, similar to its chemical formula. The density of this polymer is 1.25 grams per milliliter. It looks like white powder and carries a really bad smell or odor.
Amylose is mostly found in Algae. It can also be present in plants under deepwater or geographically situated on lower grounds. The polymer has multiple glucose rings each with glucose deposits on them. The starch composition also varies from polymer to polymer but it ranges around twenty percent.
Amylose reacts differently with different liquids. It forms a gel on the surface when brought in contact with boiling water. If you bring Iodine and mix it with Amylose, it changes the primary color and turns blue. It also has a high affinity for water molecules.
What is Amylopectin?
Amylopectin can be described as a polymer of a branched pattern. It has glycosidic types of bonds that hold the units of glucose together. Furthermore, it belongs to the D-type of glucose units. It is also constituted of different types of compounds. The chain structure in Amylopectin is linear.
Amylopectin is both crystalline and amorphous in shape and structure. However, this polymer also exists in semi-crystalline and semi-amorphous structures. The crystal part is composed of some of Amylose, which is inside it. These are also known as domains of starch granules or sections for storing various scratch types.
The name given by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry to this polymer is 2-D Glucopyranan. The molecular weight and mass of this polymer are also subject to change. This implies that different compositions of compounds will result in separate chemical formulas for the same polymer of Amylopectin.
It carries the majority percentage of starch for conversion into carbohydrates or glycogen. The general number is around seventy to eighty percent. Amylopectin is also moderately soluble in water and converts to a reddish-brown color when mixed with Iodine. The polymer also does not produce any forms of gel in the vicinity of boiling water.
Difference Between Amylose and Amylopectin
- Amylose is a type of starch-storing polymer that is highly soluble in water whereas Amylopectin is a type of polymer that is slightly soluble in water.
- Amylose is straight-linked whereas Amylopectin is branch linked in nature.
- Amylose turns blue when mixed with Iodine whereas Amylopectin turns reddish brown when mixed with Iodine.
- Amylose produces gel-like formation in the vicinity of boiling water while Amylopectin does not produce any gel-like formation.
- Amylose contains 20-30 percent of starch whereas Amylopectin contains 70-80 percent of starch.
Comparison Between Amylose and Amylopectin
| Parameters of comparison | Amylose | Amylopectin |
| Starch percentage | Amylose units of glucose contain 20 percent of starch | Amylopectin units of glucose contain 80 percent of starch |
| Water solubility | Amylose is an enzyme that is highly soluble in water | Amylopectin as a compound is slightly soluble in water |
| Polymer type | Amylose is a straight-chained type of polymer | Amylopectin is a branched-chain type of polymer |
| Formation of gel | In contact with boiling water, gels are formed | Even in contact with boiling water, gels are not formed |
| Reaction with Iodine | Iodine mixture results in the blue color of Amylose | Iodine mixture results in the reddish-brown color of Amylopectin |