Digestive performance differences between lotus seed starch-chlorogenic acid inclusion and non-inclusion complexes:...

The configuration of starch-polyphenol complexes plays a critical role in their digestive properties. In this study, inclusion and non-inclusion complexes of lotus seed starch and chlorogenic acid were prepared using static high pressure (SP: 100/500 MPa) and dynamic high pressure (DP: 10/50 MPa) techniques, respectively. Their digestive characteristics and multiscale structural evolution were systematically compared. Results indicated that the non- inclusion complexs maintained high particle structural integrity and formed a dense barrier on the surface. During digestion, chlorogenic acid exerted competitive enzyme inhibition by traversing this physical barrier and combining with its slow-release properties, thereby significantly delaying starch hydrolysis. This resulted in high resistant starch content (SP-CA-100 reaching 84.00%, DP-CA-10 reaching 82.28%). In contrast, chlorogenic acid in the inclusion complex was encapsulated within the cavities of the starch helix, making it difficult to release. High-pressure processing disrupted the original ordered structure of the starch, enabling enzymes to perform "multiple-point invasion" digestion. Consequently, the resistant starch content decreased significantly (SP-CA-500: 74.77%). Notably, despite the lower structural order of the dynamically high-pressure-prepared inclusion complex (DP-CA-50), its surface inclusion aggregated fraction partially impeded enzyme diffusion, resulting in a higher resistant starch content (78.67%) compared to SP-CA-500. This study revealed the mechanisms by which static and dynamic pressures influence digestive pathways through the regulation of complex types. This provides a theoretical basis for the precise design of functional foods with low glycemic index properties.