Making starch

Abstract

Improvements in understanding the structure of the starch granule and the nature and roles of starch-synthesising enzymes have allowed detailed mechanisms of the synthesis of the amylopectin and amylose components of the granule to be suggested. However, none of these proposed mechanisms has yet been shown to operate in vivo. Several critical aspects of granule synthesis, including granule initiation and the formation of the growth rings, remain a mystery.