Recent advances in heat-moisture modified cereal starch: Structure, functionality and its applications in starchy food systems

Abstract

Cereals, one of the starch sources, have a tremendous and steady production worldwide. Starchy foods constitute the major part of daily calorie intake for humans. As a simple and green modification approach, heat-moisture treatment (HMT) could change the granular surface characteristics and size, crystalline and helical structure, as well as molecular organization of cereal starch. The changing degree is contingent on HMT parameters and botanical origin. Based on the hierarchical structure, this paper reviews functionalities of heat-moisture modified cereal starch (HMCS) reported in latest years. The functionality of HMCS could be affected by co-existing non-starch ingredients through non-covalent/covalent interactions, depolymerization or simply attachment/encapsulation. Besides, it summarizes the modulation of HMCS in dough rheology and final food products' quality. Selecting proper HMT conditions is crucial for achieving nutritious products with desirable sensory and storage quality. This review gives a systematic understanding about HMCS for the better utilization in food industry.

Keywords: Cereal starch; Functionality; Heat-moisture; Hierarchical structure; Interactions; Starchy food.