Changes in starch grain morphologies from cooking

Henry, Amanda G.; Hudson, Holly F.; Piperno, Dolores R.

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2008.11.008

Cited by 242 publications

(208 citation statements)

References 24 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

165

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Jelling starts at the hilum of the grain (29), where a large circular depression appears a few minutes after the thermal treatment (23). Instead of the circular depression, which was displayed by very few Paglicci grains, a star-like hollow was often present, rather similar to that observed in partially gelatinized modern starch grains by Barton (30).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 59%

“…A challenging result in studying the Paglicci grinding tool was the record of swollen or partially swollen, gelatinized grains: i.e., grains featuring the physicochemical changes that normally occur after thermal treatments (23)(24)(25). This evidence suggests that a thermal treatment was performed on the plant material before grinding.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studying changes in starch grain morphology after cooking, Henry et al (23) observed that the grains can assume the same morphology as a result of different thermal procedures: for example, boiling for a long period or baking.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Multistep food plant processing at Grotta Paglicci (Southern Italy) around 32,600 cal B.P.

Lippi

Foggi

Aranguren³

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Residue analyses on a grinding tool recovered at Grotta Paglicci sublayer 23A [32,614 ± 429 calibrated (cal) B.P.], Southern Italy, have demonstrated that early modern humans collected and processed various plants. The recording of starch grains attributable to Avena (oat) caryopses expands our information about the food plants used for producing flour in Europe during the Paleolithic and about the origins of a food tradition persisting up to the present in the Mediterranean basin. The quantitative distribution of the starch grains on the surface of the grinding stone furnished information about the tool handling, confirming its use as a pestlegrinder, as suggested by the wear-trace analysis. The particular state of preservation of the starch grains suggests the use of a thermal treatment before grinding, possibly to accelerate drying of the plants, making the following process easier and faster. The study clearly indicates that the exploitation of plant resources was very important for hunter-gatherer populations, to the point that the Early Gravettian inhabitants of Paglicci were able to process food plants and already possessed a wealth of knowledge that was to become widespread after the dawn of agriculture.starch grains | Avena | pestle-grinder | flour | Early Gravettian

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 59%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Multistep food plant processing at Grotta Paglicci (Southern Italy) around 32,600 cal B.P.

Lippi

Foggi

Aranguren³

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Specifically, closed hila and an absence of fissures predominate in fresh tubers (wild and domesticated), whereas open hila and fissures predominate in freeze-dried tubers (Table S6). Various experimental studies have found a positive correlation between processing and the increased incidence of wear or damage to starches, including cracking and gelatinization (43)(44)(45); the modern Solanum data are consistent with such findings.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 70%

Late Archaic–Early Formative period microbotanical evidence for potato at Jiskairumoko in the Titicaca Basin of southern Peru

Rumold

Aldenderfer

2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The data presented in this paper provide direct microbotanical evidence concerning the early use of potato (Solanum tuberosum) within its botanical locus of origin in the high south-central Andes. The data derive from Jiskairumoko, an early village site in the western Titicaca Basin dating to the Late Archaic to Early Formative periods (∼3,400 cal y BC to 1,600 cal y BC). Because the site reflects the transition to sedentism and food production, these data may relate to potato domestication and early cultivation. Of 141 starch microremains recovered from 14 groundstone tools from Jiskairumoko, 50 are identified as consistent with cultivated or domesticated potato, based on reference to published materials and a study of wild and cultivated potato starch morphology. Along with macro- and microbotanical evidence for chenopod consumption and grinding tool data reflecting intensive use of this technology throughout site occupation, the microbotanical data reported here suggest the intensive exploitation, if not cultivation, of plant resources at Jiskairumoko. Elucidating the details of the trajectory of potato domestication is necessary for an overall understanding of the development of highland Andean agriculture, as this crop is central to the autochthonous agricultural suite. A paucity of direct botanical evidence, however, has hindered research efforts. The results of the modern and archaeological starch analyses presented here underscore the utility of this method in addressing questions related to the timing, mode, and context of potato origins.

show abstract

“…Many of the starches showed damage that we attribute to aging, including margin cracking and localized loss of birefringence. Some showed evidence of cooking, including partial gelatinization (Henry et al, 2009), while still others had hilum cracks and other features evocative of grinding (Babot, 2003). In most of these latter cases we have not been able to identify the species that produced the starch, and because processing damage varies between species, we have taken the conservative approach of not assigning this damage as due to grinding (SOM Text).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%