Starch Modifications via Physical Treatments and the Potential in Improving Resistant Starch Content

Abstract

Native starches from various plant origins have limitations in their physicochemical properties. These properties influence the qualities of formulated food products, especially in appearance, texture, structure, and taste. Therefore, modification is required to improve the properties and functionalities of starch. Additionally, starch modification is able to enhance functional food properties. Functional food refers to natural or processed foods that contain bioactive compounds, which are clinically proven to promote consumer's health. These bioactive compounds have targeting mechanisms that can manage, prevent, or treat diseases. Modified starches display improvement in resistant starch (RS) content that exhibit functional food properties such as having a low glycemic index and promotes thegrowth of probiotics; Lactobacillus sp. and Bifidobacterium sp. This review discusses the modification of starch, specifically heat moisture and microwave heat treatments, in improving the RS content. Furthermore, the relationship between RS and prebiotic properties of starch is also elaborated. Factors influencing the RS content include the amylose–amylopectin ratio and retrogradation period. Meanwhile, the influence of RS content on the prebiotic properties of modified starches is linked to its resistance to digestion. However, further investigation regarding the extent to which RS can contribute prebiotic properties is also an area of interest for future/subsequent exploration.

Starch digestibility: How single, double, and multiple physicochemical modifications change nutritional attributes of starch?

“…Microwave promotes heating uniform across all starch specimen via vibrating polar substances (i.e., water molecules or ionic ingredients). However, this process can cause several changes in starches’ functional and physicochemical properties (Zailani et al., 2023).…”

A Comprehensive Review Resistant Starch‐Containing Bread as a Functional Food: Its Effect on Appetite, Glycemic Index, and Glycemic Response

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Adsorption kinetics of methylene blue from wastewater using pH-sensitive starch-based hydrogels

“…Despite the different advantages of starch-based hydrogels, weaknesses such as low mechanical resistance and high sensitivity to degradation have prevented their widespread use in industry 12 . Starch can be modified via physical 13 , chemical 14 , blending 15 , and enzymatic 16 techniques to solve the aforementioned issues. Oxidation 17 , hydrolysis 18 , esterification 19 , and grafting 20 are among the methods of modifying starch chemically.…”