Recent Advances in Modification Approaches, Health Benefits, and Food Applications of Resistant Starch

Resistant starch (RS) is a non-digestible carbohydrate that has numerous biological benefits. However, the amounts of RS are limited in most native cereal starches, thus developing RS-fortified starch sources and food products is necessary. This review summarizes the effectiveness of RS improvement by chemical, enzymatic, and physical modification approaches in starches from various origins. The functions of RS in regulating the metabolisms and the influences of RS on the nutritional and textural properties of various foods are also elucidated. After modification, the molecular structures are altered and the starch granules became more resistant to enzymatic digestion. However, the comparison of the RS contents between raw and cooked starch is absent in many studies. In addition, RS plays an essential role in attenuating postprandial glycemia, inhibiting glucose and lipid synthesis and promoting glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, and lipid degradation, which are controlled by the enriched diversity and abundance of the beneficial microbiota in the colon, together with more short-chain fatty acids. The incorporation of RS in food products significantly increases nutritional value without unacceptable quality loss, which provides a new direction for manufacturing functional foods.