Effects of chitosan on the physicochemical properties, in vitro starch digestibility, antimicrobial potentials, and antioxidant activities of purple highland barley noodles

Chitosan is a natural additive widely used in food processing due to its functional properties, but few messages are available about the direct effects of chitosan on the quality of purple highland barley noodles (PHBN). Samples with 0.25%–2% (w/w) of chitosan addition were assessed in this study. Results indicated that the texture and water-holding capacity (WHC) of PHBN were significantly increased by chitosan. The in vitro starch hydrolysis of PHBN was significantly inhibited by chitosan via converting digestible starch into non-digestible starch, thus resulting in a significant decrease in the glycemic index (GI) of PHBN. This effect of chitosan on starch hydrolysis showed in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, the antimicrobial potentials, antioxidant activities, and sensory attributes of PHBN were also significantly enhanced by chitosan. Our findings strongly demonstrated that chitosan could not only significantly enhance the antimicrobial potentials of PHBN but also improve its edible quality.