Definition of "amylopectin" []

• The outer portion of a starch granule consisting of insoluble, highly branched polysaccharides of high molecular weight. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "There are two kinds of starch molecules: long straight chains called amy-lose, and short, branched, bushy chains called amylopectin."
• "Plants produce two broadly different forms of starch: simple long chains called amylose, and highly branched chains called amylopectin."
• "Plants produce starch in two different configurations: a completely linear chain called amylose, and a highly branched form called amylopectin, each of which may contain thousands of glucose units."