High-Amylose Resistant Starch as a Functional Ingredient in Breads: a Technological and Microstructural Approach

Resistant starches (RS) are important functional fibers with high potential for the development of healthy foods. The technological, nutritional, and commercial possibilities of introducing type 2 RS in white breads were studied. Four levels of maize RS (HM) as wheat flour replacement were evaluated: 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30% (control, HM10, HM20, and HM30, respectively). Thermal transitions experiments were assessed on doughs prior to breadmaking. The bread quality was studied by specific volume, color of crust and crumb, porosity, and texture of the crumb. The microstructure of the crumb was analyzed by environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). Proximate composition and in vitro starch digestibility were performed to characterize the nutritional profile of breads and estimate the glycemic index (GI). Consumer acceptability of breads was also evaluated. Breads with HM showed great performance up to 20% replacement in the specific volume, the crumb porosity, and the texture. Replacement up to 30% caused major damage to those parameters. Differential scanning calorimetry runs demonstrated that HM starch did not gelatinize under the baking conditions, as confirmed by ESEM. The presence of increasing levels of native starch is thought to have the greatest influence on reducing the crust browning, increasing the crumblier texture and decreasing starch digestibility. With respect to the control, a high and progressive reduction in the estimated GI and an outstanding increase of fiber with increasing levels of HM were found. The sensory evaluation of HM20 bread showed that this level of substitution has great consumer acceptance, giving it the chance to become a healthy substitute of white bread.

Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos