Robert Gilbert , University of Queensland, Hartley Teakle S434, Brisbane, Qld, AU, Qld 4072 | Ravi Chibbar | Melissa Fitzgerald

Starch is a deceptively simple polymer of glucose that contains at least six levels of structural organization, none of which are yet described fully. Improved starches for public health and industry require structure-property relations at a far more advanced level than currently available. New experimental techniques and theoretical frameworks are needed to overcome this problem. This Symposium will bring together experts in starch and experts involved in characterization and structure-property relations of synthetic polymers. The objective will be to present ways and means which permit quantitative structural characterization at nano- and meso-scales of starch, and how these can be used to develop structure-property relations. The properties of particular interest are those important for current and new industrial applications of starch, and also for human and animal nutrition.