Abstract:Coix seed starches from four producing areas were taken as research objects to study their morphology， particle size， crystallization properties， thermal properties， solubility， expansion degree， transparency，and retrogradation. The results showed that the shapes of Coix seed starch granules were mainly polygonal and ellipsoidal with cracks and depressions on the surface. The median particle size percentage content was 8.19%-11.68%， mainly medium-sized particles. The swelling power of starches was 12.5%-15.1%， the solubility was 20.3%-26.1%， the water absorption index was 14.5%-41.2%， and the transparency was 46.9-72.4.Among the samples， Yunnan Mojiang glutinous Coix seed starch was the highest in swelling power， solubility，water absorption index， and transparency， and the worst in retrogradation. The X ray diffraction spectrum showed that all the starches belonged to A-type， with a relative crystallinity of 25.9%-35.4%. For Guangxi Bama small Coix seed， its ratio of A1 047/A1 022 was the largest， while its ratio of A1 022/A995 peak intensity was the lowest， with a pasting temperature of 72.12-74.55 ℃. For pasting temperature， that of Guizhou Xingren Coix seed starch was the lowest while that of Fujian Ninghua waxy Coix was the highest with an enthalpy value of 11.00-15.20 J/g. The enthalpy value of Yunnan Mojiang glutinous Coix seed was the lowest， and that of Guizhou Xingren small white shell was the highest， with a peak temperature of 88.50-95.00 ℃.