Molecular structure of different prepared pyrodextrins and the inhibitory effects on starch retrogradation

Functionalization Methods of Starch and Its Derivatives: From Old Limitations to New Possibilities

It has long been known that starch as a raw material is of strategic importance for meeting primarily the nutritional needs of people around the world. Year by year, the demand not only for traditional but also for functional food based on starch and its derivatives is growing. Problems with the availability of petrochemical raw materials, as well as environmental problems with the recycling of post-production waste, make non-food industries also increasingly interested in this biopolymer. Its supporters will point out countless advantages such as wide availability, renewability, and biodegradability. Opponents, in turn, will argue that they will not balance the problems with its processing and storage and poor functional properties. Hence, the race to find new methods to improve starch properties towards multifunctionality is still ongoing. For these reasons, in the presented review, referring to the structure and physicochemical properties of starch, attempts were made to highlight not only the current limitations in its processing but also new possibilities. Attention was paid to progress in the non-selective and selective functionalization of starch to obtain materials with the greatest application potential in the food (resistant starch, dextrins, and maltodextrins) and/or in the non-food industries (hydrophobic and oxidized starch).

Properties of pyrodextrinization corn starch and their inhibitory effect on the retrogradation of fresh rice noodles

This study was aimed to investigate the properties of pyrodextrins under different preparation conditions and the effects of pyrodextrins on the retrogradation of fresh rice noodles. Pyrodextrins were made by heating corn starch with and without lactic acid at 180 °C ranging from 1 to 6 h. The molecular weights of pyrodextrins gradually decreased, whereas the branching degree increased and the chain length shrank with the prolongation of heating time. The changes of acid-heat-treated pyrodextrins were more pronounced than those of dry-heat-treated pyrodextrins under the same treatment time. The acid-heat-treated pyrodextrins displayed higher water solubility and lower viscosity, suggesting that they could no longer gel. These results suggest that starch retrogradation could be limited by pyrodextrins, especially acid-heat-treated pyrodextrins. Then, the pyrodextrins were added to fresh rice noodles and the eating and cooking qualities were examined during storage. After 35 days of storage, the pyrodextrin with acid heating at 180 °C for 4 h showed the most effective inhibition on starch retrogradation and was suitable for fresh rice noodles as an anti-retrogradation agent. The study might supply new perspectives on restraining starch retrogradation and promoting the fresh rice noodle industry.

A Comparative Study of Resistant Dextrins and Resistant Maltodextrins from Different Tuber Crop Starches

The anti-digestibility of resistant dextrin (RD) and resistant maltodextrin (RMD) is usually significantly affected by processing techniques, reaction conditions, and starch sources. The objective of this investigation is to elucidate the similarities and differences in the anti-digestive properties of RD and RMD prepared from three different tuber crop starches, namely, potato, cassava, and sweet potato, and to reveal the associated mechanisms. The results show that all RMDs have a microstructure characterized by irregular fragmentation and porous surfaces, no longer maintaining the original crystalline structure of starches. Conversely, RDs preserve the structural morphology of starches, featuring rough surfaces and similar crystalline structures. RDs exhibite hydrolysis rates of approximately 40%, whereas RMDs displaye rates lower than 8%. This disparity can be attributed to the reduction of α-1,4 and α-1,6 bonds and the development of a highly branched spatial structure in RMDs. The indigestible components of the three types of RDs range from 34% to 37%, whereas RMDs vary from 80% to 85%, with potato resistant maltodextrin displaying the highest content (84.96%, p < 0.05). In conclusion, there are significant differences in the processing performances between different tuber crop starches. For the preparation of RMDs, potato starch seems to be superior to sweet potato and cassava starches. These attributes lay the foundation for considering RDs and RMDs as suitable components for liquid beverages, solid dietary fiber supplements, and low glycemic index (low-GI) products.

Impact of pH on physicochemical properties of corn starch by dry heat treatment

This study investigated the effects of temperature, pH, and starch genotype on starch characteristics after dry heat treatment (DHT). DHT starches were prepared according to 19 DHT conditions, constructed using a D-optimal design, and analyzed with respect to apparent amylose (AAM) content, X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern, relative crystallinity (RC), solubility and swelling power (SP), thermal properties, and pasting viscosity. The DHT starches maintained their granular structures even after DHT at pH 3, although there was some damage to their granular surfaces. The DHT starches showed lower amylose content, RC, SP, gelatinization temperature and enthalpy, degree of retrogradation, and pasting viscosity, but higher solubility, compared to those of native starches. These DHT effects were more pronounced as pH decreased at each temperature, regardless of the starch genotype. Overall, DHT can be used to expand the physical functionality of high-amylose and highly crystallized starches with poor properties.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-023-01353-7.

Influence of the Addition of Extruded Endogenous Tartary Buckwheat Starch on Processing and Quality of Gluten-Free Noodles

Extruded starch could be used as a thickener for food processing due to its pre-gel properties. This study aimed to explore the influence of the addition of extruded endogenous Tartary buckwheat starch (ES) on the process and quality of gluten-free noodles. ES was mixed with Tartary buckwheat flour in different proportions (10–40%) to prepare the blended flour and noodles. When the content of ES was increased, the swelling power of blended flour at 90 °C had no significant changes, and the decrease in peak viscosity of blended flour was reduced. This indicated that the high-content ES could afford better thermal stability for blended flour and inhibit the swelling ability. The higher level of ES was beneficial to the formation and stabilization of dough, and the improvement of noodle tensile strength. Furthermore, there was no difference in cooking loss between noodles with 30% and 40% ES addition. The microstructure and water distribution of the noodles prepared by blended flour indicated that the gel-entrapped structure organized by the higher content ES could be closely related to the above results. In conclusion, higher ES could contribute to improving the processing properties and quality of noodles.