NMR and X-Ray Studies of Starches Derived from Tropical Fruit Seed Gelatinization Process Paula M. Costa Maria Ine ˆs B. Tavares Emerson O. da Silva IMA=Universidade Federal Do Rio De Yaneiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil Andre ´ L. B. S. Bathista IQ=USP Sa ˜o Carlos, Sa ˜ o Paulo, Brazil Jose ´ S. Nogueira IF=ICET=UFMT, Cuiab a, Mato Grosso, Brazil Antonio G. Ferreira Andersson Barison Cristina Daolio Lucine ´ ia Vizzotto DQ=UFSCar, Sa ˜o Carlos, Sa ˜ o Paulo, Brazil Gelatinization of the starch obtained from fruit seed such as mango and cumbaru was investigated applying an analytic methodology developed in the polymer nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) laboratory at IMA=UFRJ, employing high res- olution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the solid state for hydrogen nucleus, using 1 H HR-MAS pulse sequence. The results showed that NMR can be used instead of some techniques normally applied to study the gelatinization process, because 1 H HR-MAS and relaxation time allow the evaluation of this pro- cess at the molecular level. NMR was also able to indicate the best gelatinization conditions. To start this study the glass transition (Tg) determination was a first step, because the Tg of seed starches are different than the Tg of starches derived from cereal, for example. The 1 H HR-MAS NMR showed some useful information on the fruit seed starches gelatinization process. X-ray measurements were also used to support the data obtained from NMR technique. It was verified, Received 1 February 2007; in final form 7 February 2007. The authors are grateful to CPNq for the financial support of this work. Address correspondence to Maria Ine ˆ s B. Tavares, IMA=UFRJ, Centro de Tecnologia, Bloco J, Cidade Universit aria, Ilha do Funda ˜o, CP 68525, CEP 21945-970, Rio de Janerio, RJ, Brazil. E-mail: mibt@ima.ufrj.br International Journal of Polymeric Materials, 56:1135–1143, 2007 Copyright # Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 0091-4037 print=1563-535X online DOI: 10.1080/00914030701283220 1135