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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BHNRC) » Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center » Methods and Application of Food Composition Laboratory » Research » Research Project #443517

Research Project: TeraHerz (THz) Raman and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) Characterization of Dietary Fiber

Location: Methods and Application of Food Composition Laboratory

Project Number: 8040-10700-003-005-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Jan 2, 2023
End Date: Jan 5, 2026

Objective:
Starch is an interesting carbohydrate polymer whose physical form influences its accessibility to the human body as a nutrient. This project will use an accepted X-ray diffraction (XRD) method and alternative TeraHerz Raman Spectroscopy (TRS) method to identify 4 types (type A,B, C, and V) of starch. The methods will then be used to determine the forms of starch in foods before and after cooking.

Approach:
Starch is an interesting carbohydrate polymer whose physical form influences its accessibility to the human body as a nutrient. This project will use an accepted X-ray diffraction (XRD) method and alternative TeraHerz Raman Spectroscopy (TRS) method to identify 4 types (type A,B, C, and V) of starch. The methods will then be used to determine the forms of starch in foods before and after cooking.