Starch has been still used in food industry today as one of the main additives in foodstuffs. The reason for the use of starches in foodstuffs is their ability to bind water and to contribute to the coherent structure of the final product. However, the presence of starch in some foodstuffs is limited by legislation. These are especially meat products where legislation prohibits using starches. This study deals with determination of native starches using histochemical Lugol Calleja staining in

more »

... at products. The targeted structures of this successive staining are starches and collagen ligaments. Other structures can also be detected, based on the knowledge of their morphology. Within the scope of this study, the possibility of histochemical proof on the basis of reaction between Lugol's iodine solution and starch amylose was demonstrated. From the samples analyzed, the following criteria for the method were determined: Repeatability and repeatability of intralaboratory results was 100%, selectivity was determined to be 1.03, specificity of the method was determined to be 0.9, limit of detection was established to be 100% for 0.001 g.kg -1 of the addition, and 87.7% for the concentration of 0.0001 g.kg -1 of the starch addition. Based on the results it is obvious that the method is suitable for determination of native starches in meat products, and, in combination with staining of other foodstuffs ingredients, it gives a complex view of the composition and structure of the meat product.