Impact of starch–lipid complexes on oil absorption of starch and its mechanism

Abstract Background Worldwide, fried food has a huge demand and good development prospects. Low oil in foods is the standard that everyone is now pursuing for a healthy diet. Results The oil absorption behavior of rice starch during frying was investigated in the presence or absence of fatty acids or fatty acid esters with different carbon chain lengths. The complex formed between starch and fatty acids or fatty acid esters was dependent on lipid chain length, which was confirmed by X‐ray diffraction and complexing index. The formation of starch–lipid complexes could significantly reduce the oil absorption of starch, and the complexes with higher complexing index had lower oil absorption. The starch–palmitic acid complex showed the lowest oil absorption after frying, which was 14.06 g per 100 g lower than that of gelatinized starch. This was attributed to the ability of the palmitic acid to increase the density of starch crystalline polymorphs as well as their ability to complex with the amylose spiral cavity. Conclusion These results may be useful for development of healthier fried starch‐based foods with reduced oil contents. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.