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

Area of Science:

• Food science and technology
• Biopolymer interactions
• Nutraceutical encapsulation

Background:

• Native starches exhibit limited polyphenol-binding capacity, hindering their use in functional food applications.
• Anthocyanins, like cyanidin-3-O-glucose (C3G), are valuable polyphenols with poor stability and bioavailability.
• Understanding starch-polyphenol interactions is crucial for developing effective delivery systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) on the binding efficiency of cyanidin-3-O-glucose (C3G) with different native starches.
• To elucidate the structural and physicochemical changes in starch-C3G complexes induced by HHP.
• To determine the optimal pressure conditions for enhancing C3G binding in potato starch.

Main Methods:

• Treatment of potato, corn, and pea starches with C3G under varying HHP (200-550 MPa).
• Analysis of binding efficiency using spectrophotometric methods.
• Microscopy (SEM) to observe structural integrity of starch-C3G complexes.
• Zeta potential and particle size analysis to assess surface properties.

Main Results:

• HHP significantly modulated C3G binding, enhancing potato starch binding from 31.6% to 47.0% at 200 MPa.
• Corn and pea starch binding efficiency decreased below 10% at 550 MPa due to structural degradation.
• Potato starch-C3G complexes maintained structural integrity and showed a shift in binding from surface to interior at 200 MPa, unlike corn and pea starches.

Conclusions:

• High hydrostatic pressure is a viable tool to regulate starch-anthocyanin interactions by altering starch spatial structures.
• Potato starch demonstrates superior structural stability and enhanced C3G binding under optimized HHP conditions.
• The study provides insights into tailoring starch properties for improved polyphenol encapsulation and delivery.