Introductory Foods textbook definition Retrogradation: the process in which starch molecules,

particularly the amylose fraction, reassociate or bond together in an ordered structure after
disruption by gelatinization; ultimately, a crystalline order appears.
In other words, retrogradation occurs when a starch mixture stands awhile after gel formation is
done (Bennion, 2010). Retrogradation can continue and make changes. This is when more bonds
are created between the amylose molecules. During this time, the amylose molecules are losing
water (food-info.net). The amylose molecules come together in a crystalline formation and come
together more closely with one another.
Most people may be familiar with the term retrogradation as when baked goods become stale and
not fresh anymore (Vaclavik, Christian, 2008, pp. 59-60). The baked goods that are stale went
through the process of retrogradation. When starches cool, the starch begins to retrograde and
become more of a crystalline structure.
TextBook:
Bennion, M., & Scheule, B. (2010). Starch. In Introductory Foods (13th ed., p. 223). Upper
Saddle River: Pearson Education.
(Bennion, 2010)
Book:
Vaclavik, V., & Christian, E. (2008). Chapter 4: Starches in Food. In Essentials of Food
Science (Fourth ed., pp. 59-60). New York City: Springer Science Business Media.
(Vaclavik, Christian, 2008, pp. 59-60)
Website:
Starch. (n.d.). Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://www.food-info.net/uk/carbs/starch.htm

Process of Gelatinization and Retrogradation: