Amylose molecular weight affects the complexing state and digestibility of the resulting starch–lipid complexes

Previous RS5 (type 5 resistant starch) research has significantly broadened starch use and benefited society, yet the effects of the molecular weight of amylose on RS5 remain underexplored. In this study, amyloses with different molecular weights were complexed with caproic acid (C6), lauric acid (C12), and stearic acid (C18) to observe the effects of the molecular weight of amylose on the structure and in vitro digestive properties of RS5. Gel permeation chromatography revealed that the peak average molecular weight (Mp) values of high-amylose cornstarch NF-CGK (CGK), high-amylose cornstarch obtained via cornstarch via autoclave (high temperature and high pressure)-cooling combined pullulanase enzymatic hydrolysis (CTE), and high-amylose cornstarch NF-G370 (HCK) were 21,282, 171,537, and 188,084 before fatty acid complexation, respectively. Additionally, their weight average molecular weight (Mw) values of 32,429, 327,344, and 410,610 and hydrolysis rates of 58.12 %, 86.77 %, and 64.58 %, respectively. The hydrolysis rate of low-Mw amylose (GCK) complexes with fatty acids was lower than that of HCK and CTE starch–lipid complexes. However, HCK and CTE having similar molecular weights, there was no significant difference in the hydrolysis rate of starch–lipid complexes. X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and complexing index analyses confirmed the formation of these complexes. This study proposed the mechanism of RS5 formation and provided guidance for its future development.