The moisture content-based strategy for regulating retrogradation and digestibility of lotus seed starch under moist
Shuang Ma1, Shudan Luo2, Shujuan Gao2
1College of Food Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, 15 Shangxiadian Road, 350002 Fuzhou, China; Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Quality Science and Processing Technology in Special Starch, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, 350002 Fuzhou, China; China-Ireland International Cooperation Center for Food Material Science and Structure Design, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, 350002 Fuzhou, China.
Abstract:
This study elucidated the influence of varying moisture content (50%, 67%, 83%, 91%, and 99%) on the structural, physicochemical, and digestive characteristics of moist-heat-treated lotus seed starch (MHLS). Treatment at 83% moisture content (MHLS-83) facilitated amylose chain dissolution and rearrangement into double helices. This process promoted the transformation of amorphous regions into crystalline domains through the transverse contraction and longitudinal elongation of crystallites, yielding well-developed amylose microcrystals with maximal relative crystallinity (23.00 ± 0.10%). Concurrently, dissolved proteins integrate with starch to form a continuous hydrocolloid gel network, which transforms bound water into an immobilized state. Consequently, MHLS-83 demonstrated superior digestive resistance, as evidenced by the conversion of slow-digesting starch (SDS) to resistant starch (RS), and exhibited high thermal stability and favorable rheological properties. However, in vitro analysis revealed that MHLS-83 also possessed the highest proportion of rapidly digestible starch (RDS), indicating that structural order is not the sole determinant of digestibility. These findings suggest that the digestive profile of MHLS is governed by a complex interplay between structural order, starch chain refinement during retrogradation, and endogenous component dissolution and distribution. This study offers new perspectives on the factors regulating starch digestibility and provides theoretical guidance for designing functional starch-based food products.
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