Engineering waxy corn flour with sodium fatty acids: structural modifications and implications for diabetes...

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Nutritional Science
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Starch digestibility and glycemic index significantly impact metabolic health and diabetes management.
• Developing novel strategies to modulate starch properties is crucial for functional food development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the physical modification of waxy corn flour (WC) using sodium fatty acids (NaFAs) to reduce its digestibility and glycemic index.
• To elucidate the structural changes in WC upon NaFA modification and their impact on digestive properties.
• To evaluate the physiological effects of modified WC on type II diabetes symptoms and gut microbiota in a mouse model.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of WC-NaFA complexes with varying NaFA carbon chain lengths.
• Characterization of structural properties (complexity index, branching degree) and digestibility of modified WC.
• In vivo assessment of hypoglycemic and gut microbiota-modulating effects of WC modified with sodium oleate (WCO) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice.

Main Results:

• Sodium oleate (C18) incorporation led to complex B + V-type structures in WC via hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic forces.
• WC modification increased complexity index by 24.28% and branching degree by 12.03%, reducing digestibility from 83.66% to 47.48%.
• WCO significantly improved type II diabetes symptoms, including reduced blood glucose, enhanced glucose tolerance, and decreased inflammation, while promoting beneficial gut bacteria.

Conclusions:

• Physical modification of waxy corn flour with sodium oleate is an effective strategy to reduce starch digestibility and glycemic index.
• WCO demonstrates potential as a functional food ingredient for managing and preventing type II diabetes through hypoglycemic and gut microbiota-regulating effects.