A systematic review of pulsed electric field treatment: Alone and in combination with esterification on starch structure and physicochemical properties

Starch, as a widely used polysaccharide, has important applications in the food, pharmaceutical and textile industries. However, native starch exhibits inherent limitations, including poor solubility and low thermal stability, which restrict its application in industries such as food processing and paper manufacturing. Therefore, in order to improve the performance of starch and expand its application range, it is necessary to modify starch. Pulsed electric field (PEF) technology, as an energy-saving and green modification method, can effectively enhance the functional properties of starch, thereby broadening its application fields in various industries. Conventional starch esterification techniques are further constrained by inherent drawbacks, including high energy intensity, prolonged reaction durations, and suboptimal conversion rates, significantly impeding their scalability in continuous production systems. As a non-thermal physical activation strategy, PEF technology has emerged as a transformative approach for starch esterification, demonstrating a unique capability to enhance reaction kinetics between hydroxyl groups and acyl donors through controlled dipole alignment while maintaining substrate integrity under ambient temperatures. Therefore, this paper provides a comprehensive review of the effects of PEF (both standalone and combined with esterification modification) on starch structure, physicochemical properties, and digestibility in recent years, while also exploring its potential application prospects and proposing future research directions to address current limitations in the field.