1. Starch is used for energy storage in plants. Potatoes, corn, wheat and rice are the rich sources of starch.
2. It is a polymer of glucose in which glucose molecules are lined by α (1,4) glycosidic bonds.
3. Starch can be separated into two fractions namely, water soluble amylose and water insoluble amylo pectin. Starch contain about 20% of amylase and about 80% amylopectin.
4. Amylose is composed of unbranched chains upto 4000 α – D glucose molecules joined by α (1,4) glycosidic bonds.
5. At branch points, new chains of 24 to 30 glucose molecules are linked by α (1,6) glycosidic bonds with iodine solution amylose gives blue colour while amylo pectin gives a purple colour.
