eng Science and Education Publishing Journal of Food and Nutrition Research 2333-1240 2025 #These authors contributed equally to this work-07-28 13 7 256 265 10.12691/jfnr-13-7-4 JFNR20251374 article Yuxiang Shen 1 Tianfang Ao 1 Jinglei Xu 1 Qingyang Gao 1 Songye Shi 1 Qilin Huang 1 Jiping Wen wjp1380@163.com 1 College of Food Science and Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou450001, China This paper investigates the impact of different microwave powers (700 and 800 W) and different water content (1:2, 1:3, 1:4, 1:5 and 1:6) on the physicochemical properties, crystalline characteristics and structure of the mixture of wheat starch (WS) and xanthan gum. The addition amount of xanthan gum was 0.05% of the weight of wheat starch solution. The particle size was reduced as a result of microwave treatment (MT). After being treated with different microwave treatments (MTs), the oil absorption capacity (OAC), solubility (S), and swelling power (SP) of wheat starch (WS) increased significantly. In contrast, the setback, pasting temperature, and particle size distribution (PSD) decreased significantly. In summary, microwave treatment (MT) is a general physical modification method that expands the use of wheat starch (WS) and meets the varying demands of starch-based products. This introduces new possibilities for further processing of wheat starch. https://pubs.sciepub.com/jfnr/13/7/4/jfnr-13-7-4.pdf Starch modification Wheat starch Dilute solution Gelatinization