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 directly related to the rate of starch digestion. Chemical modification of starch 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 was 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 chemical modification. For most modified starches, as the degree of modification increased, the extent of digestion decreased, suggesting an increase in the amount of resistant starch. The results of this study suggest that chemically modified starch has a metabolizable energy value of <16.7 kJ/g. Chemically modified starch ingredients may serve as a good source of resistant starch in human and animal diets.