TY  - JOUR
A1  - Compart, Julia
A1  - Li, Xiaoping
A1  - Fettke, Jörg
T1  - Starch-A complex and undeciphered biopolymer
JF  - Journal of plant physiology : biochemistry, physiology, molecular biology and biotechnology of plants
N2  - Starch is a natural storage carbohydrate in plants and algae. It consists of two relatively simple homo-biopolymers, amylopectin and amylose, with only alpha-1,4 and alpha-1,6 linked glucosyl units. Starch is an essential source of nutrition and animal food, as well as an important raw material for industry. However, despite increasing knowledge, detailed information about its structure and turnover are largely lacking. In the last decades, most data were generated using bulk experiments, a method which obviously presents limitations regarding a deeper understanding of the starch metabolism. Here, we discuss some unavoidable questions arising from the existing data. We focus on a few examples related to starch biosynthesis, degradation, and structure where these limitations strongly emerge. Closing these knowledge gaps will also be extremely important for taking the necessary steps in order to set up starch-providing crops for the challenges of the ongoing climate changes, as well as for increasing the usability of starches for industrial applications by biotechnology.
KW  - Starch
KW  - Starch structure
KW  - Organization model
KW  - Starch metabolism
KW  - Analytical limitations
Y1  - 2021
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jplph.2021.153389
SN  - 0176-1617
SN  - 1618-1328
VL  - 258
SP  - 258
EP  - 259
PB  - Elsevier
CY  - München
ER  -