A novel approach for significantly increasing cassava resistant starch (RS3) yields by using mechanical activation combined with enzymatic hydrolysis

Abstract

Foods containing resistant starch (RS) have the potential to regulate blood glucose levels, but the preparation of high-amylopectin cassava starch with high resistant starch type 3 (RS3) content is still challenging. Herein, RS₃ was prepared by mechanical activation (MA) combined with enzymatic hydrolysis using high-amylopectin cassava starch as the raw material. The RS₃ content in the starch treated with MA and enzymatic hydrolysis (EMS) was 23.6%, while the RS₃ contents in the starch treated with only enzymatic hydrolysis (ES) and only MA (MS) were 13.6% and 9.9%, respectively. The MA treatment effectively disrupted the crystalline regions of starch, accelerating the enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of pullulanase, which could generate more short amylose chains suitable for retrogradation, leading to an increase in RS₃ content. Moreover, EMS was used to prepare biscuits, and their in vitro predicted glycemic index (pGI) was determined to be 53.3, indicating a low predicted glycemic impact in the applied digestion model and suggesting the potential of EMS for blood glucose regulation. This study provides a new method for producing RS₃ and functional low-GI foods from high-amylopectin starch.