Effects of rice protein, soy isolate protein, and whey concentrate protein on the digestibility and physicochemical properties of extruded rice starch

Protein, as the second major component in starchy foods, is crucial for its influence on the physicochemical properties and digestibility of starch. However, the effect of different sources of protein on starch digestibility is still unclear. In this paper, the effects of different sources of proteins (rice protein: RP, soybean isolate protein: SPI, and whey concentrate protein: WPC) on structural features, digestibility, and enzyme activity of extruded rice starch were investigated. The addition of all three proteins reduced the starch digestibility of extrudates. Native SPI and WPC suppressed amyloglucosidase activity, and all three proteins exhibited stronger amyloglucosidase inhibition when hydrolyzed. The rheological properties and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results revealed the exogenous proteins and starch interacted through non-covalent bonds and improved the ordered structures in the extrudates. The extrusion process also facilitated the formation of a V-type structure. The sum of SDS and RS content of extrudates was negatively correlated with the content of leached amylose and positively correlated with the ratio of 1047/1022 cm-1 . These findings suggest that the inclusion of exogenous proteins during extrusion can affect starch digestibility through mechanisms such as the interaction with starch molecules, as well as the inhibition of amylase activity. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This result indicated that the addition of protein during extrusion not only increased the nutritional value of the extrudate, but also decreased the starch digestibility. Extrusion technology can efficiently produce extruded products with protein, expanding further applications of protein in food and providing new healthy staple food options for special populations, such as diabetic and overweight people.