Physicochemical and Molecular Properties of Spelt and Wheat Starches Illuminated with UV Light
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
The article is very interesting. It is showing the results of physical starch modification with UV exposition. I have some questions:
Table 1 shows the molecular weight with letters indicating statistical differences, but I think may be a mistake when wheat-5 treatment shows letter B. Please confirm these values.
In tables 2 and 3 I also find that the letters do not follow an order (Tukey analysis), the letters are supposed to go from the lowest to the highest value of the mean or vice versa, if I am wrong please explain
Author Response
Response to Reviewer 1 comments:
Thank you a bunch to the esteemed reviewer for their diligence. Apologies for this mistake in a Table 1. We made some corrections in Table 1. We followed the right comment of the reviewer and analyzed the statistics according to the reviewer's instructions. We rewrited also the letters in the Table 2 and 3.
Reviewer 2 Report
Manuscript ID: applsci-2172206
Title: Molecular properties of spelt and wheat starches illuminated with UV light
Authors: Ewelina Nowak, Anna Wisła-Świder, Teresa Leszczyńska and Aneta Koronowicz
Dear authors,
your manuscript Molecular properties of spelt and wheat starches illuminated with UV light is about the promising method for the food industry of starches. All methods applied in the manuscript are well written and repeatable. From the manuscript, it could be seen that you invested a lot of effort and time to make a quality research.
The suggested manuscript is well written and scientifically sound. The theme of the proposed paper is very interesting not only for the scientific in the field of starch investigation but the beyond. The manuscript is suitable to be published in Applied Sciences after some minor corrections.
In the pdf file, you will find suggestions for improvement of the written text.
Best regards!
Comments for author File: 
Comments.pdf
Author Response
Response to Reviewer 2 comments:
Thank you a bunch to the esteemed reviewer for their accuracy. Manuscript has been amended as suggested. We added a producer of magnetic stirrer, DMSO, membrane filters (please see lines 105-110 in attached manuscript) and SEM microscope (please see line 128).
We removed a dot after measuring units (please see line 144) and changed the dot to comma in 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid (please see line 146). We have made suggested edits in the text (please see line 189).
The Table 3 do not have measured the value of Mw of amylopectin structural units in Fraction V (wheat and wheat – 25 starch sample). Obtained chromatograms for that starches (recorded with both, RI and LS detectors) were divided arbitrarily, based on the chromatogram shape into regions related to various type chain fractions. In that samples chains with Mw close to amylose could not be extracted from the chromatogram signal.
Figure A3 and A8 have references in the main text in Section 3.3 (please see line 288) and Section 3.6 (please see line 376), respectively.
Reviewer 3 Report
I recommend the publication of the manuscript after a minor revision. Authors are invited to ask regarding the advantage of illuminated starch with UV light in food industry branches such as bakery, beer industry, alcohol industry etc. Please increase the conclusions section with more information regarding the advantages of starch studied in food industry. I asked regarding these conclusions have in view the topic of the special issue Food Science and Technology.
Author Response
Response to Reviewer 3 comments:
We would like to thank you for your constructive suggestions. They are very precious to us.
In this publication we do not presents more information about functional properties of starches. UV radiation of starches has been reported to bring about changes in functional properties, such as an increase in the water binding capacity and solubility as well as a decrease in the hot paste viscosity. That results will be presented in our next publication. Because the physicochemical characteristics of the granule starches are involved in their properties and functionality we tried to show how changes in these properties affect the functionality necessary in the food industry.
We have made the amendments in conclusion section as follows (please see lines 427-438 in attached manuscript):
The functional properties of starch depends on the Mw of amylose and amylopectin chains, as well as on their molecular structure and the starch organization.
The highly branched glucans may have greatly applications in the beverage industry for their solubility in water. Technological processes where starch is enzymatically hydrolysed to convert it to glucose and finally to bioethanol by fermentation are used in food technology in a large scale. The molecular changes in the starch may be responsible for the starches baking expansion ability. The amylopectin with longer chains length distributions exhibits an amylose-like behavior in relation to the formation of thermoreversible starch gels with a high thermal stability. This starch gels with properties similar to gelatin have been applied in food technology. Presence of high degree of short type chains in amylopectin favor the interactions and rearrangement of the chains which enables molding of starch films with compact, opaque and strong structure.
Reviewer 4 Report
This manuscript examined the properties of spelt and wheat starches illuminated with UV light for 5-50 hours. Various techniques were used to evaluate the properties of UV treated starches. Comments are as follows :
-Title should be changed as not only molecular properties were determined. Mostly physicochemical (FTIR, XRD, amylolysis etc.) and morphological properties were presented.
-The major drawback is the relationship between the results and real applications of illuminated starches. The conclusion is overclaimed. Based on the results, the conclusion “UV – light illumination is promising method for receiving novel products for applications in food technology and food engineering” can not be made. No results can be related to the starch properties required for food industry. The increase of enzymatic hydrolysis rate in starches is not required by the food industry. Resistant starch is preferred as high value modified starches.
Author Response
Response to Reviewer 4 comments:
Thank you a bunch to the esteemed reviewer for their constructive comments. They are very precious to us.
We made a correction in title as follows: Physicochemical and molecular properties of spelt and wheat starches illuminated with UV light (please see lines 2-3 in attached manuscript).
We paid attention on the sentences in conclusion section. A corresponding amendment has been made for conclusion in Abstract section: Changes in starch granules could influence their some functional properties. Rearrangement in polysaccharide chains could obtaining novel starches with defined properties (please see lines 22-24).
We agree that resistant starch is preferred as high value modified starches and the increase of enzymatic hydrolysis rate in starches is not required by the food industry.
We have made some modifications in sections 4: Concluding remarks as noted below (please see lines 427-438):
The functional properties of starch depends on the Mw of amylose and amylopectin chains, as well as on their molecular structure and the starch organization.
The highly branched glucans may have greatly applications in the beverage industry for their solubility in water. Technological processes where starch is enzymatically hydrolysed to convert it to glucose and finally to bioethanol by fermentation are used in food technology in a large scale. The molecular changes in the starch may be responsible for the starches baking expansion ability. The amylopectin with longer chains length distributions exhibits an amylose-like behavior in relation to the formation of thermoreversible starch gels with a high thermal stability. This starch gels with properties similar to gelatin have been applied in food technology. Presence of high degree of short type chains in amylopectin favor the interactions and rearrangement of the chains which enables molding of starch films with compact, opaque and strong structure.
