In vitro measurement of resistant starch of cooked milled rice and physico-chemical characteristics affecting its formation

Resistant starch (RS) content was determined in 10 indica and japonica milled rices with different levels of amylose. The effect of microbial growth during starch digestion on the measurement of RS, and the correlation between physico-chemical characteristics and RS contents of milled rice were analysed. Results indicated a significant decrease (P < 0.01) in assay values of RS after antibiotics addition, and the markedly decreased sample pH due to fermentation might be the main reason for errors in RS determination. Correlation analyses showed that RS contents of milled rice were closely related to amylose content (r = 0.75, P < 0.05) and protein content (r = 0.78, P < 0.01). No significant correlation existed between RS content and some relatively simple physical properties, such as width, shape and elongation ratio of rice grain, which were reported to be good indictors of rate of rice starch digestion, while a significant positive correlation was found between elongation ratio and digestible starch in cooked milled rice (r = 0.67, P < 0.05).     

Effects of cross-linking and low molecular amylose on pasting characteristics of waxy corn starch

The action of amylose within the granule of normal corn starch is investigated by changes in pasting characteristics of waxy corn starch in a Rapid Visco Analyzer (RVA), using addition of soluble amylose (DP = 18) and cross-linking with epichlorohydrin. Although waxy corn starch, containing no amylose, did not show an effect of addition of amylose on pasting characteristics, by cross-linking with epichlorohydrin, the pasting peak viscosity and breakdown were greatly enhanced and set-back (viscosity increased in the cooling process after gelatinization) was generated. The cross-linking depressed the disintegration of starch granules in the swelling process, with amylose interaction, resulting in RVA pasting characteristics similar to those seen with normal corn starch containing amylose. Set-back was essentially caused by rearrangement among modified amylopectins. Addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) to the RVA more efficiently enhanced the effect. This indicated that amylose in normal corn starch interacts with amylopectin through locally strong linkages.     

The importance of amylose and amylopectin fine structures for starch digestibility in cooked rice grains

Statistically and causally meaningful relationships are established between starch molecular structures (obtained by size-exclusion chromatography, proton NMR and multiple-angle laser light scattering) and digestibility of cooked rice grains (measured by in vitro digestion). Significant correlations are observed between starch digestion rate and molecular structural characteristics, including fine structures of the distributions of branch (chain) lengths in both amylose and amylopectin. The in vitro digestion rate tends to increase with longer amylose branches and smaller ratios of long amylopectin and long amylose branches to short amylopectin branches, although the statistical analyses show that further data are needed to establish this unambiguously. These new relationships between fine starch structural features and digestibility of cooked rice grains are mechanistically reasonable, but suggestive rather than statistically definitive.     

A novel size-exclusion high performance liquid chromatography (SE-HPLC) method for measuring degree of amylose retrogradation in rice starch

The objective of this study was to develop a new method to measure the degree of amylose retrogradation in rice starch using size-exclusion high performance liquid chromatography (SE-HPLC). This developed method is based on the change in molecule size related to the retention time of amylose. Results showed that SE-HPLC was able to provide accurate data to evaluate the amylose retrogradation by comparing with other well-established methods. The principle of the measurement was further studied in molecular level by molecular dynamic (MD) simulation. It indicated that amylose molecules were transformed from disordering configuration to ordering one due to the increase in Van der Waals (Vdw) and hydrogen forces, and decrease in bonded interaction during the short-term storage.     

Relationship between the structure,physicochemical properties and in vitro digestibility of rice starches with different amylose contents

The in vitro digestibility and molecular and crystalline structures of rice starches (Long-grain, Arborio, Calrose, and Glutinous) differing in amylose content were investigated and the relationship between the structure and in vitro digestibility of starch was studied. Long-grain showed the highest amylose content (27.2%), whereas Glutinous showed the lowest amylose content (4.2%). Long-grain had the highest average amylopectin branch chain length (18.8) and proportion (8.7%) of long branch chains (DP ≥ 37), and the lowest proportion (26.9%) of short branch chains (DP 6–12). Among the non-waxy rice starches (Long-grain, Arborio, and Calrose), Calrose had the lowest average chain length (17.7) and the lowest proportion (7.1%) of long branch chains (DP ≥ 37). The relative crystallinity of rice starch followed the order: Glutinous (33.5%) > Calrose (31.4%) > Arborio (31.0%) > Long-grain (29.9%). Long-grain had the highest gelatinization temperature and the lowest gelatinization temperature range, whereas Glutinous showed the highest gelatinization temperature range and gelatinization enthalpy. Arborio had the highest melting enthalpy for amylose–lipid complex among the tested rice starches. Pasting temperature, setback, and final viscosity increased with increasing amylose content, whereas the peak viscosity and breakdown showed negative correlations with amylose content. The rapidly digestible starch (RDS) content of the tested rice starches followed the order: Glutinous (71.4%) > Calrose (52.2%) > Arborio (48.4%) > Long-grain (39.4%). Contrary to this, the slowly digestible starch (SDS) and resistant starch (RS) contents showed an opposite trend compared to RDS. Digestibility (RDS, SDS, and RS) of the rice starches was significantly correlated (p ≤ 0.05) with amylose content, proportions of DP 6–12 and DP 13–24, relative crystallinity, intensity ratio (of 1047 cm⁻¹ to 1022 cm⁻¹ from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), swelling factor, amylose leaching, onset temperature of gelatinization, gelatinization temperature range, gelatinization enthalpy, pasting temperature, peak viscosity, breakdown, setback, and final viscosity.     

Effect of annealing on the semicrystalline structure of normal and waxy corn starches

The influence of amylose and amylopectin on structural reorganization occurred during annealing was studied for normal and waxy corn starches. Annealing caused an increase in crystallinity in the waxy corn starch, whereas the number of pores on the granule surface, observed by SEM, increased especially for normal corn starch. Amylose and amylopectin chains of the annealed normal corn starch were degraded to greater extension during enzymatic hydrolysis than those of the native starch. On contrary, the annealing caused a protective effect on waxy corn starch amylopectin toward the enzymatic reaction suggesting that this treatment promoted a better interaction between amylopectin chains of waxy corn starch. The amylose molecules of normal corn starch may have impaired the mobility of amylopectin molecules and restricted the reorganization of the crystalline structure during the annealing. The major increase in pores number on the granule surface of annealed normal corn starch, resulted of the endogenous amylase action during annealing, could facilitate the exogenous enzymes’ role in the degradation of the starch granules’ amorphous area.     

Effects of starch on nitrous acid-induced oxidation of kaempferol and inhibition of α-amylase-catalysed digestion of starch by kaempferol under conditions simulating the stomach and the intestine

Kaempferol glycosides can be hydrolyzed to their aglycone kaempferol during cooking under acidic conditions and in the oral cavity and the intestine by glycosidases. Kaempferol was oxidised by nitrite under acidic conditions (pH 2.0) to produce nitric oxide (NO), and the nitrite-induced oxidation of kaempferol was enhanced and inhibited by 10 and 100 mg of starch ml⁻¹, respectively. The opposite effects of starch were discussed by considering the binding of kaempferol to starch and starch-dependent inhibition of the accessibility of nitrous acid to kaempferol. Kaempferol inhibited α-amylase-catalysed starch digestion by forming starch/kaempferol complexes, and the inhibitory effects increased in the order of amylopectin < soluble starch < amylose. The different effects of kaempferol were discussed to be due to the difference in binding sites of kaempferol between amylose and amylopectin. From the present study, dual-function of kaempferol became apparent in the digestive tract.     

Structure-viscosity relationships for starches from different rice varieties during heating

The effects of starch particle size and leached amylose on the viscosity of rice starch dispersions and changes of short-range structure and amylose content in starch granules of different rice varieties during heating were investigated. It was found that starch granule swelling increased rice starch dispersion viscosity during heating. The viscosities of the starch dispersions during heating were principally dependent on granular volume fraction and independent of starch variety. A distinct correlation between the amount of leached amylose and swelling of starch granules was also found. High initial amylose concentrations in starch granules reduced swelling during heating, thereby reducing rice dispersion viscosities. Fourier-transform IR spectroscopy indicated that the loss of short-range order was significant when the temperature reached the pasting onset temperature. The short-range order of waxy and medium grain rice starches was higher than that of long grain rice starches before gelatinization. The loss of order of waxy and medium grain rice starches was greater than that of long grain rice starches during heating, which was due to the presence of amylose, restraining the swelling and disruption of starch granules during heating.