抗性淀粉的功能特性及其应用研究进展

抗性淀粉是指健康个体小肠中未被吸收的淀粉及其降解产物的总和，在人体中起到与膳食纤维相似的生理作用。抗性淀粉不仅具有调节血糖水平、调控体重、保护肠道等对人体健康有益的功能特性，还可以改善食品的质地和感官特性，因此其在食品相关领域具有良好的应用前景。本文总结了抗性淀粉的分类、功能特性及其在食品加工领域的实际应用和潜在应用价值，探讨了其功能特性的未来研究方向，以期为抗性淀粉功能特性的理论和应用研究提供参考。     

Structural and some nutritional characteristics of Velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens) and Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus) starches

Velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens) and lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus) starches were isolated from seeds and their structural characteristics evaluated using XRD, size‐exclusion chromatography and light scattering analyzes. Total starch, available starch, RS and in vitro digestibility were also determined. Structural and nutritional characteristics of Velvet bean and Lima bean starches were compared to those of commercial corn starch. The legumes starches presented a C‐type XRD pattern and crystallite sizes of 43.1 Å for velvet bean and 48.3 Å for lima bean. Lima bean starch average molar mass (4.9 × 10⁶ g/mol) was slightly higher than the velvet bean starch (3.04 × 10⁶ g/mol). Size‐exclusion chromatography indicated structural similarity between the lima bean and corn starches which differed from that of the velvet bean starch. Hydrodynamic radius (R_H) for the velvet bean and lima bean starches was 45.5 and 55 nm, respectively, and their radius of gyration (R_G) was 67.7 and 82.5 nm, respectively. Total starch content in all three starches was greater than 98%. Their complex crystalline structure provided the legume starches lower in vitro digestibility values than the corn starch. RS content in both the velvet bean starch (7.72%) and lima bean starch (5.66%) was higher than in the corn starch, essentially qualifying these polysaccharides as natural dietary fiber sources, with the associated physiologic advantages.     

Resistant Starch and Health — Himalaya 292, a Novel Barley Cultivar to Deliver Benefits to Consumers

Dietary and lifestyle change is a recognised strategy for the management and prevention of socio‐economically important non‐infectious diseases. Dietary fibre is composed largely of non‐starch polysaccharides (NSP), and greater consumption of NSP‐rich foods relieves simple constipation very effectively. Starch (as resistant starch, RS) is also receiving attention for its potential role in promoting colonic function. Resistant starch is that fraction of starch which escapes human small intestinal digestion and enters the large bowel where (together with a variable fraction of NSP) it is fermented by the resident microflora. The resulting short chain fatty acids (SCFA) are taken up by the large bowel and metabolised. SCFA mediate many of the health benefits ascribed to NSP and RS. Starch consumption is low in affluent westernised countries, despite recommendations by health agencies. In Australia, foods enriched in RS as a high amylose maize starch have gained consumer acceptance. However, scope remains for additional products and ingredients and a company, Ascentia Pty Ltd, has been established to develop a novel barley cultivar (Hordeum vulgare var. himalaya 292) for this purpose. This cultivar has a specific gene alteration leading to a loss of starch synthetase lla activity resulting in a grain which is low in starch but disproportionately higher in amylose and also NSP. Animal and human studies have shown that Himalaya 292 is high in RS relative to existing products and has a low glycaemic index and the cultivar offers promise as a vehicle to deliver health benefits to consumers.