Effects of chemical modification on in vitro rate and extent of food starch digestion: An attempt to discover a slowly digested starch

Differences in glycemic and insulinemic responses to dietary starch are dir ectly related to the rate of starch digestion. Chemical modification of sta rch may allow for the production of a slowly digested starch that could be used for the treatment of certain medical modalities. An in vitro method wa s utilized to evaluate the effects of chemical modification on the rate and extent of raw and cooked starch digestion. The extent of starch digestion was significantly reduced by dextrinization, etherification, and oxidation. However, the rate of starch digestion was not significantly affected by ch emical modification. For most modified starches, as the degree of modificat ion increased, the extent of digestion decreased, suggesting an increase in the amount of resistant starch. The results of this study suggest that che mically modified starch has a metabolizable energy value of < 16.7 kJ/g. Ch emically modified starch ingredients map serve as a good source of resistan t starch in human and animal diets.