Octenyl succinate anhydride (OSA) modified high amylose maize starch (HAMS) showed limited emulsion stability due to the OSA groups were located on the surface of starch granules. However, amylose is enriched in the internal region of HAMS and provides the reaction site for OSA groups. In this study, five types of starches with different amylose content were prepared using optimized reaction conditions. Our data showed that amylose content (AC) was the most important parameter controlling the degree of substitution (DS), in comparison with temperature, pH, starch concentration and time. DS reached a maximum (2.1%) at AC of 58%. Importantly, OSA groups were mainly located in the internal regions of HAMS under the optimized reaction conditions. This was supported by (1) the decrease of the crystallinity, (2) the weaker fluorescence intensity of the starch fluorophore probe 8-amino-1,3,6-pyrenetrisulfonic acid (APTS) in the internal regions of HAMS, and (3) unchanged signals from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy which characterized the granular surface structure ordering. This new OSA reaction pattern permits HAMS to be used in stabilizing Pickering emulsions This is the first report that OSA groups located in the internal regions of HAMS granules.