This paper comes up with a method for rapid determination of starch content in potato powder by differential thermal analysis. Resorting to thermogravimetric analysis and infrared absorption spectrum analysis, the author locates the characteristic peaks of starch decomposition by identifying the absorption peaks and optimizes the influencing factors. The results reveal a linear relationship between starch content and the peak area of the differential thermal curve when the heating rate is 5°C/min and the particle size is 100mesh. The linear relationship is expressed by the equation: y=1.0111x-25.272 (R2=0.99329). The method is fast, accurate and highly practical.
