Toward a Better Understanding of Starch–Monoglyceride–Protein Interactions

The aim of the present study was to investigate the interactions between maize starch (MS), β-lactoglobulin (βLG), and monoglycerides (MG) containing different fatty acids in a model system. Results from the Rapid Visco Analyzer (RVA) showed that MS–MGC14:0 and MS–MGC16:0 systems presented a viscosity peak during the RVA cooling and/or holding stage, while MS–MGC18:0, MS–MGC18:1, and MS–MGC18:2 systems did not show obvious changes in the pasting profile. Addition of βLG altered significantly the pasting profiles of MS–MG systems in different ways, with the most obvious change observed for the MS–MGC18:0 system. Results from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction showed that the complexes in ternary systems were more ordered than those in binary systems. The thermal transition temperatures of complexes in binary and ternary systems were similar, although the enthalpy changes were greater for ternary than for binary systems. From the above results, we concluded that addition of βLG promoted the formation of MS–MG complexes rather than the involvement of formation of ternary MS–MG−βLG complexes.