Starch acetates were prepared by conventional method, preheat treatment, and extrusion process through acetylation of corn starch with acetic anhydride and their physicochemical properties were investigated. The optimal conditions of the acetylation of starch by conventional method(CSA) was found that starch concentration was 30%, reaction temperature $35^{circ}C$ and pH 8.5. With increasing the molar ratio of acetic anhydride to anhydrous glucose unit from 0.03 to 0.20, DS(Degree of substitution) value of corn starch acetate prepared at the optimum condition was increased from 0.019 to 0.080, while the acetylation efficiency was decreased from 31.6% to 20.5%. In the case of the preheated (gelatinized), then acetylated starch(PSA), DS value was increased from 0.027 to 0.04 at the fixed molar ratio of the acetic anhydride with increasing preheating temperature from $60^{circ}C;to;90^{circ}C$. The DS was low as 0.02 in the case of starch acetate prepared by extrusion process(WESA). The CSA and PSA showed lowering gelatinization temperature and enthalpy than raw corn starch with increasing DS. All of starch acetates showed the increased degree of transparency, the decreased lightness and the increased yellowness as compared to the raw corn starch. WESA showed lower apparent viscosity and more close to the characteristic of the Newtonian fluid than CSA and PSA. Intrinsic viscosity was reduced in CSA and WESA, although PSA has a slightly higher one than raw corn starch. The rate of retrogradation of the gels was retarded in all starch acetates.