Replacing rice flour with starch-lipid complex reduced estimated glycemic index and enhanced slow digestible starch and resistant starch content in gluten-free fettuccine

Rice flour is a commonly used alternative to wheat flour in gluten-free fettuccine (GFF); however, its high starch digestibility and glycemic index can hinder its health benefits. This study produced GFF with a low glycemic index by replacing rice flour with a starch-lipid complex (SLC) prepared by heat-inducing a high amylose rice starch to form a complex with stearic acid. The GFF was prepared by substituting rice flour with SLC at 0, 10, 15, and 20%. The optimal replacement level was evaluated from the quality aspects of estimated glycemic index (eGI), slow digestible starch (SDS), and resistant starch (RS) content in GFF. The results indicated that SLC contained higher levels of RS and SDS than native rice starch (NRS). The GFF prepared by replacing rice flour with SLC at 20% had higher SDS (20.87%) and RS (4.34%) content and lower eGI value (67.06) than GFF without SLC addition (91.49). Texture profile analysis and scanning electron microscopy revealed significant differences between the GFF samples. Replacing rice flour with SLC at 20% had acceptable GFF quality with low cooking loss. The findings suggested that SLC had great potential and could be effectively utilized to produce low glycemic index gluten-free fettuccine and other pasta products.