Effects of different polysaccharides on the anti-Retrogradation of buckwheat Wantuan

Here, we elucidate the anti-retrogradation mechanism of oat β-glucan (OG), seaweed polysaccharide (SP), and konjac glucomannan (KGM) in buckwheat wantuan, by evaluating their impacts on the retrogradation behavior and structure of buckwheat starch, as well as the storage quality of the final product. All polysaccharides significantly decreased starch retrogradation value, with SP-added starch showing the highest reduction of 38.73%. They induced crystalline transformation from A-type to B + V-type and reduced crystallinity, accompanied by hydrogen-bond red-shifts and lower R_1047/1022 ratios. SEM observations revealed cross-linking between polysaccharides and starch, forming a dense and ordered network structure. Storage studies demonstrated that polysaccharide addition significantly reduced hardness, chewiness, and gelatinization enthalpy (P < 0.05) of wantuan while inhibiting water migration from bound to free states. Among them, SP exhibited the best anti-staling effects, reducing hardness by 16.05% and ΔHge by 56.5%. Correlation analysis further confirmed that polysaccharides inhibit wantuan aging through controlling water mobility.