Synergistically engineered porous wheat starch via sodium trimetaphosphate-sodium hypochlorite dual modification:...

Porous wheat starch (PWS) holds promise as a functional ingredient, but its application is often limited by its poor physicochemical stability. This study employed sodium hypochlorite oxidation and sodium trimetaphosphate cross-linking to enhance the structural and functional properties of PWS. Results revealed that the A-type crystal structure of modified PWS was preserved at the long-range level, and the formation of carbonyl (CO, 1640 cm^-1) and phosphate diester bonds (C-O-P-O-C, 887 cm^-1) confirmed the occurrence of oxidation and crosslinking reactions. The dual-modified PWS exhibited substantial improvements in thermal stability, shear resistance, and viscoelastic properties and remarkably enhanced adsorption capacities for water (109.83% ± 3.11%), oil (120.34% ± 3.40%), and proanthocyanidin (6.43 ± 0.19 mg/g)-substantially outperforming single-modified starch. These findings reveal a strong synergistic mechanism for engineering high-performance starch derivatives and establish dual-modified PWS as a promising bioactive compound carrier and versatile food industry functional ingredient.