The addition of CS and WF was shown to be an effective agent for
the reduction of the spongy structure formation in freeze–thawed
rice starch gels. CS was slightly better than WF in terms of syneresis
reduction especially after 2–5 freeze–thaw cycles. WF was able
to retard the textural changes which resulted from a gel with a
spongy structure. The microstructure of the unfrozen starch gel
demonstrated that swollen starch granules form dense associations
in rice starch gels containing no WF or CS, while in gels containing
WF, the highly swollen WF starch granules spread and covered
swollen rice starch granules. In gels containing CS, the connection
of both swollen starch granules of rice starch and CS was evident.
This research shows that either CS or WF can be a useful additive
for preserving quality in frozen rice starch-based food products.