Fabrication of debranched pea starch beads through gellan gum self-assembly and ionic cross-linking for enhanced...

Debranched starch is susceptible to structural disruption under high temperatures, leading to substantial loss of resistant starch (RS) content. In this study, low-acyl gellan gum (GG) self-assembly combined with Ca²⁺ cross-linking was employed to fabricate beads embedding debranched pea starch (DPS), with the aim of enhancing the thermal stability of DPS and reducing its digestibility. After heating at 95 °C, the swelling power (6.72 ± 0.26 g/g) of the beads was significantly lower than that of DPS (11.98 ± 1.09 g/g). The onset gelatinization temperature of the beads increased from 84.37 ± 0.24 °C to 101.41 ± 1.01 °C. In vitro digestion revealed that the contents of slowly digestible starch and RS in the beads increased from 4.68 ± 0.77% and 26.59 ± 2.89% to 15.54 ± 0.36% and 51.75 ± 1.11%, respectively. Correlation analysis showed a positive relationship between RS content and hardness (r = 0.95) and negative correlations with GG/DPS ratio (r = -0.89) and porosity (r = -0.92). DPS acted not only as an encapsulated component but also as a structural contributor to bead hardness, thereby enhancing digestive resistance. This study provides an effective strategy for developing functional foods with high RS content.