Efficient Retention and Complexation of Exogenous Ferulic Acid in Starch: Could Controllable Bioextrusion Be the Answer?

The starch-phenolics complexes are widely fabricated as functional foods but with low phenolics retention limited by traditional liquid reaction and washing systems. In this study, ferulic acid (FA, 5%) was exogenously used in the crystalline form, and it reacted with starch in a high-solid extrusion environment, which was simultaneously controlled by thermostable α-amylase (0-252 U/g). Moderate enzymolysis (21 or 63 U/g) decreased the degree of the starch double helix and significantly increased the FA retention rate (>80%) with good melting and distribution. Although there were no significantly strong chemical bonds (with only 0.17-2.39% FA bound to starch hydrolysate), the noncovalent interactions, mainly hydrogen bonds, van der Waals forces, and electrostatic interactions, were determined by 1H NMR and molecular dynamics simulation analyses. The phased release of total FA (>50% in the stomach and ∼100% in the intestines) from bioextrudate under in vitro digestion conditions was promoted, which gives a perspective for handing large loads of FA and other phenolics based on starch carrier.