Effect of starch-hydrocolloid complexes with heat-moisture treatment on in vivo digestibility

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of starch-hydrocolloid (gum arabic, xanthan gum, and guar gum) complexes with heat-moisture treatment (HMT) on in vivo digestibility. In vivo digestibility experiments revealed that the body weight, liver weight, and fat index of mice in the intervention group were significantly reduced compared with those in the high-fat group. Glucose tolerance improved, and blood lipid levels, liver and adipose tissue morphology returned to normal. The results of mRNA expression levels showed that the intervention of corn starch-hydrocolloid complexes after HMT down-regulated the expression level of genes related to fat synthesis compared with the high-fat group, which could decrease lipid deposition and stabilize blood lipid levels. Results revealed that starch-xanthan gum complex (1 : 40 ratio) with HMT could markedly reduce the digestibility of starch. Overall, this study provides new ideas for the application of low-glycemic-index and functional foods.