Studies of the effect of maltose on the direct binding of porcine pancreatic α-amylase to maize starch

The particle sizes of milled wheat fractions affect the in vitro starch digestibility and quality parameters of wire-cut cookies made thereof

Slow digestion of starch is linked to various health benefits. The impact of wheat particle size on in vitro starch digestibility and quality of wire-cut cookies was here evaluated by including four soft wheat fractions [i.e. flour (average diameter, 83 μm), fine farina (643 μm), coarse farina (999 μm) and bran (1036 μm)] in the recipe. The susceptibility of starch in these fractions to in vitro digestion decreased with increasing particle size, resulting in a 76% lower digestion rate for coarse farina than for flour as found with the single first-order kinetic model. Starch was protected from hydrolysis likely due to delayed diffusion of pancreatic α-amylase through the intact farina cell walls. When 20-65% starch in flour for the control cookie recipe was substituted with the same percentages in fine and coarse farina, the starch digestion rate decreased when substitution levels increased. A 62% lower digestion rate was found at 65% substitution with coarse farina. Cell wall intactness was largely preserved in the cookies and most of the starch appeared as ungelatinised granules. Further, the cookie spread ratio during baking was 48% and 33% higher and the cookies were 63% and 57% less hard than control cookies when made with 65% fine farina and 65% coarse farina, respectively. The relatively low specific surface area of large wheat particles resulted in low water absorption and less dense packing. In conclusion, encapsulation of starch by intact cell walls in coarse wheat fractions makes them promising ingredients when developing starchy food products for controlled energy release.

Enzyme kinetic approach for mechanistic insight and predictions of in vivo starch digestibility and the glycaemic index of foods

BACKGROUND

Starch is a principal dietary source of digestible carbohydrate and energy. Glycaemic and insulinaemic responses to foods containing starch vary considerably and glucose responses to starchy foods are often described by the glycaemic index (GI) and/or glycaemic load (GL). Low GI/GL foods are beneficial in the management of cardiometabolic disorders (e.g., type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease). Differences in rates and extents of digestion of starch-containing foods will affect postprandial glycaemia.

SCOPE AND APPROACH

Amylolysis kinetics are influenced by structural properties of the food matrix and of starch itself. Native (raw) semi-crystalline starch is digested slowly but hydrothermal processing (cooking) gelatinises the starch and greatly increases its digestibility. In plants, starch granules are contained within cells and intact cell walls can limit accessibility of water and digestive enzymes hindering gelatinisation and digestibility. In vitro studies of starch digestion by α-amylase model early stages in digestion and can suggest likely rates of digestion in vivo and expected glycaemic responses. Reports that metabolic responses to dietary starch are influenced by α-amylase gene copy number, heightens interest in amylolysis.

KEY FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS

This review shows how enzyme kinetic strategies can provide explanations for differences in digestion rate of different starchy foods. Michaelis-Menten and Log of Slope analyses provide kinetic parameters (e.g., K m and k cat /K m ) for evaluating catalytic efficiency and ease of digestibility of starch by α-amylase. Suitable kinetic methods maximise the information that can be obtained from in vitro work for predictions of starch digestion and glycaemic responses in vivo.

Rapid unfolding of pig pancreas α-amylase: Kinetics, activity and structure evolution

α-Amylase plays an important role in food processing and in-vivo digestion. Many biological functions of α-amylase are affected by unfolding. The pre-steady-state rapid unfolding kinetics of α-amylase remains unknown. In this study, the rapid unfolding kinetics of porcine pancreatic α-amylase (PPA) with guanidine hydrochloride (GdmHCl) were investigated by stopped-flow spectroscopy. Structural characterization of PPA by fluorescence spectroscopy, and molecular dynamics simulation showed that the unfolding process of PPA might start from the internal active center, where the β-sheet structure was destroyed, followed by the exposure of hydrophobic amino acid residues. Further research revealed that GdmHCl denaturized PPA not by complexing with PPA. The surrounding H-bond network of water was changed by GdmHCl. This research improves our understanding of the unfolding kinetics of the PPA on the microsecond scale. It also provides the evidence experimentally of the surrounding water contribution to protein denaturization.

Effects of exogenous α-(1,4)-amylase on the utilisation of corn starch and glucose metabolism in broiler chickens

Starch is the most important energy source in corn-based diets for broiler chickens, however, some proportion of dietary starch may be partially digested, leading to a decrease in feed utilisation. Therefore, supplementing exogenous amylase might be a feasible way to improve the utilisation of dietary starch for poultry. This study investigated the effects of exogenous α-(1,4)-amylase supplementation on the utilisation of corn starch and glucose metabolism in broiler chickens. A total of 560, 4-d-old Arbour Acres plus male broiler chicks were randomly divided into five treatment groups and fed a corn-soybean meal diet supplemented with 0, 400, 600, 800 and 1 200 U/kg α-(1,4)-amylase to evaluate growth. The growth performance, nutrient digestibility coefficients, digestive enzyme activity, glucose transporter transcription and cecal microbiota composition were evaluated in this study. Starch digestibility coefficient showed a quadratic response to α-(1,4)-amylase at 14 d and 42 d (P < 0.05). However, the endogenous α-amylase activity in jejunal content was linearly decreased (P = 0.045). Also, exogenous α-(1,4)-amylase linearly decreased ileal Na+-dependent glucose and galactose transporter 1 mRNA expression at 42 d (P < 0.001). Exogenous α-(1,4)-amylase generated higher insulin and glucagon serum concentrations in fasted birds (P < 0.05) and following re-feeding for 2 h (P < 0.001). BW gain and feed intake were strongly positively correlated with starch digestibility coefficient at both 14 d (r = 0.87) and 42 d (r = 0.91); whereas, the relative weight of the gizzard was weakly negatively correlated with starch digestibility coefficient (r = -0.35). The relative abundance of Unclassified_Bacillaceae was moderately positively correlated (r > 0.50) while Oscillospira, Ornithobacterium and Unclassified_Barnesiellaceae were moderately negatively correlated (-0.50 < r -0.39) with starch digestibility coefficient. In conclusion, exogenous α-amylase modulates metabolic function by increasing insulin and glucagon concentrations, influenced gut microbiota which may impact starch digestibility in the jejunum and ileum. The results of this study showed that excessive addition of exogenous α-(1,4)-amylase was not beneficial for the utilisation of starch in broiler chickens. Supplement more than 600 U/kg α-(1,4)-amylase inhibited glucose transporters, decreases the coefficients of starch and organic matter digestibility in the small intestine to a varying degree, thereby limiting the growth performance of broiler chickens.

Colorimetric Detection of Salivary α-Amylase Using Maltose as a Noncompetitive Inhibitor for Polysaccharide Cleavage

This paper describes an approach for colorimetric detection of salivary α-amylase, one of the potential biomarkers of autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity, for enabling assessment of fatigue. The ability of α-amylase to cleave α-bonds of polysaccharides is utilized for developing a colorimetric assay. In the proposed approach, 2-chloro-4-nitrophenyl-α-d-maltotrioside as substrate releases a colored byproduct upon cleavage by salivary α-amylase. Introduction of maltose as a noncompetitive inhibitor yields desirable linear responses in the physiologically relevant concentration range (20-500 μg/mL) with a limit of detection (LOD) of 8 μg/mL (in aqueous solution). The concentrations of substrate and noncompetitive inhibitor are subsequently optimized for colorimetric detection of salivary α-amylase. A facile paper-based "strip" assay is proposed for analysis of human saliva samples with marginal interference from saliva components. The proposed assay is rapid, specific, and easy-to-implement for colorimetric detection of salivary α-amylase between 20 and 500 μg/mL. Complementary RGB (red, green, blue components) analysis offers quantitative detection with a LOD of 11 μg/mL. The two assay formats are benchmarked against the Phadebas test, a state of the art method for spectrophotometric detection of α-amylase. The reported paper-based methodology possesses a high potential for estimation of altered ANS responses toward stressors that possibly could find applications in assessment of fatigue and for monitoring onset of fatigue.

Modeling cereal starch hydrolysis during simultaneous saccharification and lactic acid fermentation; case of a sorghum-based fermented beverage, gowé

Gowé is an acidic beverage obtained after simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of sorghum. A previous paper focused on modeling the growth of lactic acid bacteria during gowé processing. This paper focuses on modeling starch amylolysis to build an aggregated SSF model. The activity of α-amylase was modeled as a function of temperature and pH, and the hydrolysis rates of both native and soluble starch were modeled via a Michaelis-Menten equation taking into account the maltose and glucose inhibition constants. The robustness of the parameter estimators was ensured by step by step identification in sets of experiments conducted with different proportions of native and gelatinized starch by modifying the pre-cooking temperature. The aggregated model was validated on experimental data and showed that both the pre-cooking and fermentation parameters, particularly temperature, are significant levers for controlling not only acid and sugar contents but also the expected viscosity of the final product. This generic approach could be used as a tool to optimize the sanitary and sensory quality of fermentation of other starchy products.

Mechanisms of starch digestion by α-amylase-Structural basis for kinetic properties

Recent studies of the mechanisms determining the rate and extent of starch digestion by α-amylase are reviewed in the light of current widely-used classifications for (a) the proportions of rapidly-digestible (RDS), slowly-digestible (SDS), and resistant starch (RS) based on in vitro digestibility, and (b) the types of resistant starch (RS 1,2,3,4…) based on physical and/or chemical form. Based on methodological advances and new mechanistic insights, it is proposed that both classification systems should be modified. Kinetic analysis of digestion profiles provides a robust set of parameters that should replace the classification of starch as a combination of RDS, SDS, and RS from a single enzyme digestion experiment. This should involve determination of the minimum number of kinetic processes needed to describe the full digestion profile, together with the proportion of starch involved in each process, and the kinetic properties of each process. The current classification of resistant starch types as RS1,2,3,4 should be replaced by one which recognizes the essential kinetic nature of RS (enzyme digestion rate vs. small intestinal passage rate), and that there are two fundamental origins for resistance based on (i) rate-determining access/binding of enzyme to substrate and (ii) rate-determining conversion of substrate to product once bound.

Covalent immobilization of α-amylase on magnetic particles as catalyst for hydrolysis of high-amylose starch

Enzyme immobilized on magnetic particles can be used as efficient recoverable biocatalysts under strong magnetic response. To enable re-use of enzyme, modified Fe3O4 particles were used as carrier to immobilize α-amylase in this paper. Firstly, the surface of Fe3O4 particles were coated with amino groups by direct using TEOS (tetraethoxysilane) followed by treatment with APTES (3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane) and then carboxylated by reacting it with succinic anhydride. In addition, the effect of the immobilization condition on enzyme activity recovery and immobilization efficiency were investigated. The results showed that the optimal immobilization occurred under following conditions: pH 5.5, 40°C, enzyme concentration of 20mgmL(-1), reaction time for 36h. Using immobilized α-amylase as biocatalyst, the optimum pH and temperature for hydrolysis were observed to be 6.5 and 60°C. The kinetics of hydrolysis reaction were studied using Michaelis-Menten equation. The affinity constant (Km) and maximum reaction rate (vmax) of magnetic particles immobilization α-amylase (MPIA) was 0.543mgmL(-1) and 1.321mgmin(-1) compared to those of 0.377mgmL(-1) and 6.859mgmin(-1) of free enzyme. After immobilization, enzymatic activity, storage stability, thermo-stability, and reusability of MPIA were found superior to those of the free one. MPIA maintained 86% enzyme activity after 30 days and maintained 78% enzyme activity after recycling six times.

The interplay of α-amylase and amyloglucosidase activities on the digestion of starch in in vitro enzymic systems

In vitro hydrolysis assays are a key tool in understanding differences in rate and extent of digestion of starchy foods. They offer a greater degree of simplicity and flexibility than dynamic in vitro models or in vivo experiments for quantifiable, mechanistic exploration of starch digestion. In the present work the influence of α-amylase and amyloglucosidase activities on the digestion of maize and potato starch granules was measured using both glucose and reducing sugar assays. Data were analysed through initial rates of digestion, and by 1st order kinetics, utilising logarithm of slope (LOS) plots. The rate and extent of starch digestion was dependent on the activities of both enzymes and the type of starch used. Potato required more enzyme than maize to achieve logarithmic reaction curves, and complete digestion. The results allow targeted design of starch digestion experiments through a thorough understanding of the contributions of α-amylase and amyloglucosidase to digestion rates.

A mechanistic approach to studies of the possible digestion of retrograded starch by α-amylase revealed using a log of slope (LOS) plot

The rate and extent of digestibility of starch were analysed using the logarithm of the slope (LOS) method. Digestibility curves with α-amylase were obtained for starches in their native, gelatinised and 24h retrograded form. A LOS plot of the digestibility curves was then constructed, which allowed the rate constant (k) and the concentration of the product at the end of the reaction (C∞) to be calculated. It also allowed the identification of rapid and slow phases in starch digestion. Upon gelatinisation, both k and C∞ increased with dramatic changes notably in C∞; however after starch samples had been stored for 24h at room temperature, k was not affected but C∞ decreased. This suggests that retrograded starch is virtually inert to amylase action. Both k and C∞ were strongly related to the increase in degree of order of the α-glucan chains, monitored by FTIR-ATR spectroscopy, in retrograded starch.