In-vitro digestibility of rice starch and factors regulating its digestion process: A review

Abstract

Rice is consumed as staple food by more than half of the world's population. However, it has high glycemic index because of high starch content and is associated with the development of diabetes. Therefore, it is important to devise strategies that could lower the digestibility of rice starch. Keeping this fact into consideration, the present study includes a review of factors that are known to regulate in-vitro digestibility of rice starch. This review also includes an overview of some previous and current in-vitro starch digestion methods along with their advantages and limitations. Regarding factors regulating in-vitro digestibility, physical encapsulation of starch within cell wall/macro-capsule, protein or dietary fibres retard rate of starch digestion. Also, interaction of polyphenols with rice starch results in formation of V-type inclusion complexes, resistant to digestion. This review provides sufficient information that can help food industries to develop suitable strategies for mitigating digestibility of rice starch.