Starch Chemistry and Function

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Grain".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2024 | Viewed by 6175

Special Issue Editors

College of Food Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
Interests: polymer composites; structure characterization; green processes for biopolymers; biopolymer films and coatings; biopolymer hydrogels; interactions between active ingredients in food; food nutrient composition and functional activity

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Guest Editor
College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350117, China
Interests: starch modification and functional control; construction of controlled-release delivery system for bioactive ingredients; chemistry and characterization of carbohydrate polymers; biomaterials for food and health; relationship between the structure and functionality of food materials such as starch

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Starch is composed of two types of glucosidic linkages and appears to be a simple carbohydrate. The texturizing properties of starch after cooking and processing are an important part of the food matrix and provide energy for humans. The role of some food components such as polyphenols, proteins and lipids in regulating starch digestion has attracted increasing research interest in recent years, and starch has been used for satiety and weight management. Studying the structure-function relationship of starch can help develop technologies to make processed starch-based products healthier. Therefore, the purpose of this special issue is to better understand the relationship between starch structure and function and dietary components, and then provide help for the development of functional foods.

Dr. Xu Lu
Dr. Chengdeng Chi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • structures
  • slow-digesting starch
  • starch modification
  • complex
  • resistant starch
  • digestibility
  • intestinal microbiota
  • interaction
  • gut-brain axis

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 2961 KiB  
Article
Characterization of a Novel Starch Isolated from the Rhizome of Colombian Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) Cultivars
by Shaydier Argel-Pérez, Piedad Gañán-Rojo, Diego Cuartas-Marulanda, Catalina Gómez-Hoyos, Jorge Velázquez-Cock, Lina Vélez-Acosta, Robin Zuluaga and Angélica Serpa-Guerra
Foods 2024, 13(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13010007 - 19 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1143
Abstract
Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) plants are native to Southeast Asia and are part of the Zingiberaceae family. Global consumption and production of this plant are expanding. In countries such as Colombia, turmeric is a promising cultivar. Curcuminoids derived from its rhizomes are [...] Read more.
Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) plants are native to Southeast Asia and are part of the Zingiberaceae family. Global consumption and production of this plant are expanding. In countries such as Colombia, turmeric is a promising cultivar. Curcuminoids derived from its rhizomes are used in food, pharmaceuticals, and natural cosmetics. Curcuminoids constitute approximately 3 wt% of the rhizome. Many residues rich in cellulose and starch can thus be recovered. This study characterizes a novel starch isolated from Colombian turmeric cultivars. The morphological parameters of the starch were determined using microscopic techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Proximate analysis and infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) were used to analyze the chemical composition, while physical analyses included thermal characterization, swelling power testing, solubility, water retention capacity, and colorimetry evaluation. The new starch granules were ellipsoidal in shape and ranged in diameter from 19.91 to 38.09. A trace amount of remaining curcumin was identified through chemical and physical characterization. The swelling power was 3.52 ± 0.30, and its water retention capacity was 3.44 ± 0.30. Based on these findings, turmeric can be useful in both food and non-food applications. Because starch was extracted from other Zingiberaceae plants, this study also includes a brief review of the related literature. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Starch Chemistry and Function)
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18 pages, 3463 KiB  
Article
Effects of Tremella fuciformis Mushroom Polysaccharides on Structure, Pasting, and Thermal Properties of Chinese Chestnuts (Castanea henryi) Starch Granules under Different Freeze–Thaw Cycles
by Weijing Zhuang, Shuyi Zheng, Feng Chen, Shujuan Gao, Meifang Zhong and Baodong Zheng
Foods 2023, 12(22), 4118; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12224118 - 13 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1000
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Tremella fuciformis polysaccharides on the physicochemical properties of freeze–thawed cone chestnut starch. Various aspects, including water content, crystallinity, particle size, gelatinization, retrogradation, thermal properties, rheological properties, and texture, were examined. The results [...] Read more.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Tremella fuciformis polysaccharides on the physicochemical properties of freeze–thawed cone chestnut starch. Various aspects, including water content, crystallinity, particle size, gelatinization, retrogradation, thermal properties, rheological properties, and texture, were examined. The results revealed that moderate freezing and thawing processes increased the retrogradation of starch; particle size, viscosity, shear type, hinning degree, and hardness decreased. After adding Tremella fuciformis polysaccharide, the particle size, relative crystallinity, and gelatinization temperature decreased, which showed solid characteristics. Consequently, the inclusion of Tremella fuciformis polysaccharide effectively countered dehydration caused by freezing and thawing, reduced viscosity, and prevented the retrogradation of frozen–thawed chestnut starch. Moreover, Tremella fuciformis polysaccharide played a significant role in enhancing the stability of the frozen–thawed chestnut starch. These findings highlight the potential benefits of incorporating Tremella fuciformis polysaccharides in starch-based products subjected to freeze–thaw cycles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Starch Chemistry and Function)
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18 pages, 4382 KiB  
Article
Microwave-Induced Behavior and Digestive Properties of the Lotus Seed Starch—Chlorogenic Acid Complex
by Xiangfu Jiang, Jianyi Wang, Lanxin Li, Baodong Zheng, Shuyi Zheng and Xu Lu
Foods 2023, 12(13), 2506; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12132506 - 28 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1141
Abstract
The effect of chlorogenic acid (CA) on the dielectric response of lotus seed starch (LS) after microwave treatment, the behavior and digestive characteristics of the resulting starch/chlorogenic acid complex (LS-CA) at different degrees of gelatinization and the inhibition of α-amylase by chlorogenic acid [...] Read more.
The effect of chlorogenic acid (CA) on the dielectric response of lotus seed starch (LS) after microwave treatment, the behavior and digestive characteristics of the resulting starch/chlorogenic acid complex (LS-CA) at different degrees of gelatinization and the inhibition of α-amylase by chlorogenic acid were investigated. The variation in dielectric loss factor, ε″, and dielectric loss tangent, tanδε, of the microwave thermal conversion indicated that LS-CA had a more efficient microwave-energy-to-thermal-energy conversion efficiency than LS. This gelatinized LS-CA to a greater extent at any given temperature between 65 and 85 °C than LS, and it accelerated the degradation of the starch crystalline structure. The greater disruption of the crystal structure decreased the bound water content and increased the thermal stability of LS-CA compared to LS. The simulated in vitro digestion found that the presence of the LS-CA complex improved the slow-digestion property of lotus seed starch by increasing its content of resistant and slowly digested starch. In addition, the release of chlorogenic acid during α-amylase hydrolysis further slowed starch digestion by inhibiting α-amylase activity. These findings provide a foundation for understanding the correlation between the complex behavior and digestive properties of naturally polyphenol-rich, starch-based foods, such as LS, under microwave treatment, which will facilitate the development of starch-based foods with tailored digestion rates, lower final degrees of hydrolysis and glycemic indices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Starch Chemistry and Function)
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19 pages, 2607 KiB  
Review
Effects of the Molecular Structure of Starch in Foods on Human Health
by Jihui Zhu, Yeming Bai and Robert G. Gilbert
Foods 2023, 12(11), 2263; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12112263 - 04 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2298
Abstract
Starch provides approximately half of humans’ food energy, and its structural features influence human health. The most important structural feature is the chain length distribution (CLD), which affects properties such as the digestibility of starch-containing foods. The rate of digestion of such foods [...] Read more.
Starch provides approximately half of humans’ food energy, and its structural features influence human health. The most important structural feature is the chain length distribution (CLD), which affects properties such as the digestibility of starch-containing foods. The rate of digestion of such foods has a strong correlation with the prevalence and treatment of diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity. Starch CLDs can be divided into multiple regions of degrees of polymerization, wherein the CLD in a given region is predominantly, but not exclusively, formed by a particular set of starch biosynthesis enzymes: starch synthases, starch branching enzymes and debranching enzymes. Biosynthesis-based models have been developed relating the ratios of the various enzyme activities in each set to the CLD component produced by that set. Fitting the observed CLDs to these models yields a small number of biosynthesis-related parameters, which, taken together, describe the entire CLD. This review highlights how CLDs can be measured and how the model-based parameters obtained from fitting these distributions are related to the properties of starch-based foods significant for health, and it considers how this knowledge could be used to develop plant varieties to provide foods with improved properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Starch Chemistry and Function)
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