Waxy maize starch and potato amylopectin starch were treated with acid to break them down (lintnerization). The rate of breakdown depended on temperature, but both starches behaved similarly. Enzymes could break down the starches further, revealing scattered branches in both. The longer and shorter chains in the starch molecules were affected by lintnerization, suggesting they are on the outside of the granules. The composition of lintners from potato starch varied with temperature, while waxy maize starch lintners did not. The presence of amylose had a bigger impact on the breakdown results than the type of crystallinity.