Interaction between starch and dietary compounds: New findings and perspectives to produce functional foods

Due to the increased prevalence of overweight, obesity, diabetes, colon cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and metabolic syndrome, dietary approaches to reduce starch digestion and regulate glucose homeostasis have gained attention. Starch is a polysaccharide in most daily food consumed as bakery products, snacks, breakfast cereals, and pasta, which are often vilified. However, it is also present in beans, lentils, and oatmeal, which are considered healthy food products. The difference relays on the food matrix and the thermal process that can produce interactions between starch and dietary compounds (protein, lipid, non-starch polysaccharide, and bioactive compounds) or among starch chains (retrogradation). Such interactions produce structural changes so the digestive enzymes cannot hydrolyze them; additionally, the physical barrier of some macromolecules (proteins, hydrocolloids) restricts starch gelatinization and accessibility of the digestive enzymes to hydrolyze the starch. The interactions mentioned above and the use of some macromolecules as physical barriers could be explored as a pathway to develop functional foods. This review analyzes the interactions between starch and dietary compounds influenced by the processing of some food matrices to better understand their potential for developing functional foods.