Can starch-polyphenol V-type complexes be considered as resistant starch?

Abstract

The development of functional foods has increased in the last decade, and recently assembled and self-assembled starch-polyphenol V-type complexes (according to the methodology used to obtain them) have emerged and demonstrated their potential in this field, since they are capable of reducing the rate of starch digestibility associated with the increase in the resistant starch (RS) content. These complexes can be produced from isolated starch and polyphenol extract, although novel naturally polyphenol-containing starch-rich sources such as blue corn flour, green banana flour, among others, can also be highlighted. Starch-polyphenol V-type complexes have a crystalline arrangement like starch-lipid V-type complexes, which are well recognized as type 5 RS (RS5). However, the mechanism that affects the digestion of starch from them, as well as their categorization, has not been well discussed so far. The possible mechanisms of starch digestibility from starch-polyphenol V-type complexes were discussed based on recent advances in this field of starch science and technology. Some important guidelines for the good understanding of these complexes were also given, as well as the starch-polyphenol V-type complexes from potential natural sources and their possibilities for industrial scaling were analyzed. At least three possible mechanisms of starch digestibility from starch-polyphenol V-type complexes were distinguished, and the next future advances could elucidate whether these complexes can be considered as RS itself. In this case, a new type of RS must be given to this type of complex or be classified or subclassified as RS5. The research works critically analyzed here also suggest the possibility of obtaining starch-polyphenol V-type complexes from natural sources, which until now had not been considered and analyzed.