AbstractPotato starch was oxidized by hydrogen peroxide in alkaline and acidic reaction conditions with copper, iron and tungstate catalysts in order to introduce carboxyl and carbonyl groups to the starch molecule. Carbonyl contents up to 6.6 per 100 glucose units could be obtained, whereas carboxyl content remained low (up to 1.4). Starch yields in the alkaline and acidic reactions were 90 and 99%, respectively. The molecular weight decreased markedly with the degree of oxidation, and was dependent on the catalyst used. Rheological measurements revealed that when the molecular weight of the moderately oxidized starch was high, a very firm gel (G' = 40kPa) was obtained with 25% starch concentration. When the degree of oxidation increased, the storage modulus G' decreased. The more the oxidized starch contained carbonyl groups, the higher was the gelatinization temperature.