Intake effect of resistant starch on degradation and fermentation in gastrointestinal tract: High-amylose cornstarch versus prepared resistant starch

Abstract

This chapter discusses the physiological effects of prepared resistant starch (RS) which is obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis of retrograded high-amylose cornstarch (HAS), and states that RS preparation has a fermentable property like water-soluble dietary fibers and also a fecal bulking effect like water-insoluble dietary fibers. Intake effects of prepared resistant starch (RS) on degradation and fermentation are compared with those of high-amylose cornstarch (HAS). HAS and RS show similar effects on fecal weight (increased), the length of colon + rectum (increased), pH of cecal content (decreased), and cecal tissue and content weight (increased). The overall contents of short-chain fatty acids in cecal contents and feces of the HAS and RS groups increase as compared to the group that was fed a fiber-free diet or a cellulose powder diet. Propionate content is significantly lower in the HAS group than in the RS groups. The Toyopearl HW-50 column chromatograms on cecal and fecal starch fraction and the fecal glucose output speculates that the rate of degradation affects cecal fermentation, which is yet to be confirmed by future research.