The effects of high-pressure treatment on the structure, physicochemical properties and digestive property of starch - A review

A review of the effects of physical processing techniques on the characteristics of legume starches and their application in low-glycemic index foods

Physical processing techniques significantly influence the characteristics of legume starch, consequently affecting the potential applications of legume-based products. This review comprehensively examines the impact of various physical processing techniques on legume starch properties, including structure, granule morphology, gelatinization, pasting properties, solubility, and in vitro digestibility. Furthermore, it evaluates the implications of these processing methods for utilizing legumes in developing low-glycemic index (GI) foods. Notably, certain physical processing methods, such as heat-moisture treatment, ultrahigh-pressure processing, dry heat treatment, and gamma irradiation, under specific conditions, enhance the resistant starch or slowly digestible starch fractions in legume starches. This enhancement is particularly advantageous for producing low-GI foods. Conversely, techniques like annealing, extrusion, ultrasound, and germination increase starch digestibility, which is less favorable for low-GI food applications. This review also provides an up-to-date overview of the use of diverse preprocessed legume products in low-GI food production. The novelty of this review lies in its detailed comparative analysis of physical processing methods and their specific effects on legume starch digestibility, which has not been extensively covered in existing literature. The comprehensive insights presented herein will benefit the legume industry by informing effective strategies for converting legume starch into valuable low-GI products.

A Comprehensive Review on Starch-Based Hydrogels: From Tradition to Innovation, Opportunities, and Drawbacks

Natural hydrogels based on renewable and inexpensive sources, such as starch, represent an interesting group of biopolymeric materials with a growing range of applications in the biomedical, cosmeceutical, and food sectors. Starch-based hydrogels have traditionally been produced using different processes based on chemical or physical methods. However, the long processing times, high energy consumption, and safety issues related to the synthesis of these materials, mostly causing severe environmental damage, have been identified as the main limitations for their further exploitation. Therefore, the main scientific challenge for research groups is the development of reliable and sustainable processing methods to reduce the environmental footprint, as well as investigating new low-cost sources of starches and individuating appropriate formulations to produce stable hydrogel-based products. In the last decade, the possibility of physically modifying natural polysaccharides, such as starches, using green or sustainable processing methods has mostly been based on nonthermal technologies including high-pressure processing (HPP). It has been demonstrated that the latter exerts an important role in improving the physicochemical and techno-functional properties of starches. However, as for surveys in the literature, research activities have been devoted to understanding the effects of physical pre-treatments via high-pressure processing (HPP) on starch structural modifications, more so than elucidating its role and capacity for the rapid formation of stable and highly structured starch-based hydrogels with promising functionality and stability, utilizing more sustainable and eco-friendly processing conditions. Therefore, the present review addresses the recent advancements in knowledge on the production of sustainable starch-based hydrogels utilizing HPP as an innovative and clean-label preparation method. Additionally, this manuscript has the ambition to give an updated overview of starch-based hydrogels considering the different types of structures available, and the recent applications are proposed as well to critically analyze the main perspectives and technological challenges for the future exploitation of these novel structures.

From 'Farm to Fork': Exploring the Potential of Nutrient-Rich and Stress-Resilient Emergent Crops for Sustainable and Healthy Food in the Mediterranean Region in the Face of Climate Change Challenges

In the dynamic landscape of agriculture and food science, incorporating emergent crops appears as a pioneering solution for diversifying agriculture, unlocking possibilities for sustainable cultivation and nutritional bolstering food security, and creating economic prospects amid evolving environmental and market conditions with positive impacts on human health. This review explores the potential of utilizing emergent crops in Mediterranean environments under current climate scenarios, emphasizing the manifold benefits of agricultural and food system diversification and assessing the impact of environmental factors on their quality and consumer health. Through a deep exploration of the resilience, nutritional value, and health impacts of neglected and underutilized species (NUS) such as quinoa, amaranth, chia, moringa, buckwheat, millet, teff, hemp, or desert truffles, their capacity to thrive in the changing Mediterranean climate is highlighted, offering novel opportunities for agriculture and functional food development. By analysing how promoting agricultural diversification can enhance food system adaptability to evolving environmental conditions, fostering sustainability and resilience, we discuss recent findings that underscore the main benefits and limitations of these crops from agricultural, food science, and health perspectives, all crucial for responsible and sustainable adoption. Thus, by using a sustainable and holistic approach, this revision analyses how the integration of NUS crops into Mediterranean agrifood systems can enhance agriculture resilience and food quality addressing environmental, nutritional, biomedical, economic, and cultural dimensions, thereby mitigating the risks associated with monoculture practices and bolstering local economies and livelihoods under new climate scenarios.

Analysis of the relationship between starch molecular conformation and enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency

Resistant starch (RS) is important in controlling diabetes. The primary objective of this study is to examine the impact of molecular conformation on the enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of starch by α-amylase. And the interactions between starch molecules with different conformations and α-amylase were analysed by using molecule dynamics simulation and molecular docking. It was found, the natural conformational starch molecule was hydrolysed from the middle of the starch chain by α-amylase, producing polysaccharides. The bent PS-conformational starch molecules with multiple O2-O3 intramolecular hydrogen bonds produced by high-pressure was hydrolysed from the head of the starch chain to produce glucose, which is not conducive to RS formation. The stretched H-conformation without intramolecular hydrogen bonds produced by heat treatment was not hydrolysed by α-amylase. However, it occupied the active groove and formed strong interactions with α-amylase, which prevented other starch molecules from binding to α-amylase, thus reducing hydrolysis efficiency. Moreover, the total interaction energies between the three starch molecules and α-amylase were approximately 78 kJ/mol. And several hydrogen bonds were formed between the starch molecules and α-amylase, which provides evidence for the continuous sliding hydrolysis hypothesis of α-amylase. Moreover, these results provide an important reference for elucidating the mechanism of RS formation.

Plant polysaccharides extracted by high pressure: A review on yields, physicochemical, structure properties, and bioactivities

Polysaccharides are biologically essential macromolecules, widely exist in plants, which are used in food, medicine, bioactives' encapsulation, targeted delivery and other fields. Suitable extraction technology can not only improve the yield, but also regulate the physicochemical, improve the functional property, and is the basis for the research and application of polysaccharide. High pressure (HP) extraction (HPE) induces the breakage of raw material cells and tissues through rapid changes in pressure, increases extraction yield, reduces extraction time, and modifies structure of polysaccharides. However, thus far, literature review on the mechanism of extraction, improved yield and modified structure of HPE polysaccharide is lacking. Therefore, the present work reviews the mechanism of HPE polysaccharide, increasing extraction yield, regulating physicochemical and functional properties, modifying structure and improving activity. This review contributes to a full understanding of the HPE or development of polysaccharide production and modification methods and promotes the application of HP technology in polysaccharide production.

Tunable interactions in starch-anthocyanin complexes switched by high hydrostatic pressure

Native starches usually have poor polyphenol-binding efficiency despite remarkable architectural structures. In this study, the interaction between cyandin-3-O-glucose (C3G) and three starches under high hydrostatic pressure was investigated. Pressure (200-550 MPa) was found to promote the binding rate of potato starch from 31.6% to 47.0% but reduced that of corn and pea starch to below 10% at 550 MPa. Microscopy results showed that pressurized corn and pea starch-C3G complexes partially or completely lost spatial structures, whereas potato starch-C3G complexes retained structural integrity. The former had decreased zeta potentials and increased particle sizes at 550 MPa, suggesting surface charges and specific surface area losses caused poor binding. Potato starch-C3G complexes, however, exhibited unchanged zeta potential and particle size but the strongest fluorescence at 200 MPa, indicating a positive binding shift from surface to interior. Overall, high hydrostatic pressure can regulate the interactions of native starches with anthocyanins via spatial structural changes.

Production and Properties of Starch: Current Research

Starch is an important carbohydrate polymer found in plants and has been widely used in food and non-food industries due to its abundance, renewability, biodegradability, low cost, biocompatibility and non-toxicity [...].

Spotlight on the Multiscale Structural and Physicochemical Properties of Red Adzuki Bean Starch through Partial Amylose Removal Combined with Hydrochloric Acid

To explore the effect of amylose within starch granules on the efficiency of starch hydrolysis by acid, we chose the warm water extraction method to treat red adzuki bean starch to obtain different degrees of amylose removal granule models and to prepare samples in combination with acid hydrolysis. The amylose content was reduced after acid hydrolysis, reducing the peak viscosity (2599-1049 cP), while the solubility was significantly increased. In contrast, the short-chain content of the deamylose-acid hydrolysis samples was reduced considerably, exacerbating the trend towards reduced starch orderliness and increased solubility. This work reveals the granular structure of starch from the point of view of deamylose and contributes to a thorough understanding of the mechanisms of acid hydrolysis. It might add to knowledge in starch science research and industrial applications for the acid processing of starch-based foods, particularly with regard to the most important factors controlling the structure and function of starch.