Preparation and characterisation of octenyl succinate starch as a delivery carrier for bioactive food components

The octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA) modified corn starch (OSAS) was synthesised with different degrees of substitution (DS) and the influences of three factors namely OSA/starch ratio, reaction temperature, and reaction time on the DS of OSAS were studied by response surface methodology (RSM). As a delivery carrier material, the characteristics of OSAS were investigated. The resistant starch (RS) content of OSAS was increased with increasing DS, indicating the improvement of colon-targeting property. The swelling ratio (SR) of the OSAS in simulated gastrointestinal fluids was higher than that of native starch and its hydrophilicity was decreased with increasing DS. For in vitro release study, the percentage of released bioactive components was less than 7% within the first 8 h and close to 100% over a period of 36 h when the DS was 0.60. These results demonstrate that OSAS can be a potential carrier for colon-targeted delivery of bioactive food components.