The structure and physical and chemical properties of starch. Modified starch: types, properties and uses

13.08.2019 Meat Dishes

No matter what nutritionists and fans of healthy diets say, starch is an important component in the human diet. It is considered an important source of energy for humans. But, as doctors believe, the use of this component can cause metabolic disorders. Therefore, it is important to know the composition of starch, as well as the rules for its use.

Description

It is a white, free-flowing substance, sometimes yellowish. The powder is odorless and tasteless. The component does not dissolve in cold water, but when interacting with it, it releases the concentration of which forms a viscous, thick mass. If you rub the starch with your fingers or squeeze it in the palm of your hand, then a creak will appear. The sound comes from the friction of the grains against each other. They are not destroyed even with such an impact.

Starch is found in various plants:

  • bananas;
  • peas;
  • mango;
  • beans;
  • tubers and root crops.

The composition of starch affects its calorie content - 313 kcal per 100 g. This indicator is great for active and strong people who constantly spend a lot of energy. In this case, the products will be beneficial to the body.

Views

Starch happens:

  • potato;
  • corn;
  • wheat;
  • rice;
  • soy;
  • tapioca.

It is used for baking bread. It has the property of absorbing water during dough kneading. During the baking process, the substance is gelatinized, participating in the formation of the crumb of the bread. When storing the product, the paste ages, which makes the bread stale.

Ideal for sauces, desserts, syrups. Tapioca is made from cassava tubers. The paste will be more viscous than corn product. It is used for making soups, gravy.

Starch refers to complex carbohydrates, which are divided into natural (vegetables, fruits, legumes) and refined (flour and products from it). The second type of food is recognized as harmful.

What is potato starch made of?

The composition of the starch is varied. It contains many simple sugars that are collected in long chains. These are the composition and structure of starch. The unit of 1 chain is glucose, which is a source of energy in the body. The composition of potato starch is as follows:

  • Trace elements - phosphorus, calcium, potassium.

Corn starch composition

To check the quality of the product, GOST 32159-2013 is used. In stores, you must purchase goods made on the basis of this document.

According to it, the composition of corn starch is as follows:

  • water - 14-16%;
  • acidity - 20-25 cubic meters cm;
  • protein - 0.8-1%;
  • SO2 - 50 mg / kg.

There should be no impurities of other starches. The composition of this type of starch includes a little selenium, manganese, magnesium, sodium, zinc.

Receiving options

The chemical composition of starch can differ depending on the feedstock. After all, it can be potato, corn, rice, wheat, sorghum. Each product is distinguished by its properties and the presence of additional components.

If the product is obtained from grains, the mass is soaked and ground to remove embryos from the seeds. The residue is crushed again, and then substances are isolated from it and dried. As a result, it may contain mineral components and vitamins. This procedure is performed with potatoes, only instead of removing the embryos, the juice and peel are removed.

Usually, the creation of starch is based on the processing of potatoes. Tubers contain about 25% of this substance. And in cereals, it is present in the range of 65-80%. Potatoes are used more often because grinding the equipment does not break down quickly compared to grinding cereals.

Usage

The product is used in the food industry. It is used to prepare jelly, sauces, creams, sausages, baked goods. Most sausages contain starch, which is added to obtain a dense consistency. It usually serves as a thickener and liquid binder in the product. For example, to get jelly or mayonnaise. For this, modified starch is used.

This carbohydrate is used in other areas as well:

  1. In pharmacology, it is used as a filler in tablets in the form of tablets. It is added to baby powders, ointments. Syrups, potions, sorbitols and glucose are prepared with it.
  2. In medicine, it is used for intoxication, gastritis, ulcers. Starch perfectly protects the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines. The product eliminates spurs on the heels, relieves skin irritation, diaper rash.
  3. In cosmetology, masks and creams are prepared from the product. Such formulations are nourishing and softening. The products do not cause allergies, they are used for all skin types.
  4. In the pulp and textile industry. The product is needed for processing paper and is considered to be its filler. The composition of starch and cellulose allows them to be used in different fields. In the textile sector, it is used for processing materials.

Benefit and harm

It is important to know the composition and properties of starch. The product is energizing. It is because of its presence in grains, cereals that bread, pastries and cereals are nutritious. The amylose-rich starch is a so-called intestinal massager. It breaks down worse than a product that contains amylopectin, therefore it forms a lump in the intestine, which stimulates its work and improves digestion. A useful property of the product is the ability to restore the body after changes in blood sugar levels in diabetes.

But starch also has harmful properties. With it, a person quickly gains weight due to the content of a large number of calories. The product is perfect for people who move a lot. Otherwise, he has no contraindications.

Daily rate

Starch under the influence of acid undergoes hydrolysis, after which it turns into glucose. It will be the main source of energy for the body. Therefore, to feel good, a person needs to consume a certain amount of starch.

It is enough to eat cereals, bakery and pasta, legumes, potatoes and corn. At least a little bran should be added to food. The daily norm is 330-450 grams.

Since starch is considered a complex carbohydrate, it is consumed if there is no possibility of frequent meals. The product is transformed due to gastric juice, releasing glucose necessary for the body. The need for the product decreases in case of liver diseases, small physical exertion, as well as during work, which requires a quick supply of energy.

Lack and excess

It is necessary to use the product in moderation so as not to harm the body. With a shortage, a person suffers:

  • weakness;
  • rapid fatigue;
  • frequent depression;
  • decreased immunity;
  • decreased sex drive.

But there is an excess of starch. Then the following signs are observed:

  • headache;
  • heavy weight;
  • decreased immunity;
  • irritability;
  • problems in the small intestine;
  • constipation.

Choice

When buying, you should pay attention to the date of manufacture, the integrity of the packaging, the absence of lumps. The product must be free of hardening. The presence of a white powder is important. Rubbing produces a characteristic creak. The product is stored for up to 5 years in an airtight container.

Corn starch is great for making cream and biscuit dough. The appearance is similar to the highest quality flour. Kissels are made from potato starch. The product is used for baking curd and fruit cakes. It has a snow-white color.

Preparation

You can make starch at home. This requires small, frozen and injured potatoes. It must be washed, cleaned. Rotten and heavily dirty areas must be removed. Then the potatoes are grated and passed through a meat grinder. But you can crush it.

Pour cold water into or a saucepan. Little by little, put the mass in a sieve and immerse it in a container, rubbing the gruel, wash the starch, pour water on top. The pulp should be wrung out.

Clear water must be drained from the basin so as not to shake up the starch at the bottom. Then it is poured with cold water, stirred and allowed to settle. The water is drained and the starch is transferred to paper or towel to dry. Then the product is sieved and stored in a dry place.

Many people are interested in the question, what is starch? Today you will find out the answer to it. So, starch is a polysaccharide that consists of amylose and amylopectin... Their ratio varies depending on the type of starch (amylose 12 - 30, amylopectin 70 - 84%). Amylose and amylopectin form starch grains, the exact structure of which is still unknown. Starch is an important ingredient in many foods. In some, it is present in raw materials, in others it is added to impart certain properties to products. Mainly starch is used as a thickener and water-binding agent. It is added in the production of mayonnaise, sauces, pastes, puddings, etc.

Starch properties.

Gelatinization. Whole starch grains are insoluble in water, but they absorb moisture very well and swell. The degree of swelling depends on the type of starch and varies widely from 9 to 23%.

When heated, the vibration of starch molecules increases, which leads to their partial destruction, thus freeing up space for water to bind through hydrogen bonds. Upon further heating in the presence of water, a complete loss of the structure of starch grains occurs. The temperature at which there is a complete loss of the structure of starch grains is called temperature of gelatinization. It depends on the type of starch (see table 1).

Table 1 Dependence of the gelatinization temperature on the type of starch.

Starch type

Gelatinization temperature

Corn

Potato

Waxy maize

During gelatinization, the starch grains swell strongly, this leads to an increase in viscosity, however, with prolonged heating, the swollen grains are destroyed, which leads to a partial loss of viscosity. The ability of starch to form paste makes it a very important component in many foods.

It should be noted that the viscosity of starch solutions depends not only on temperature. The viscosity can be influenced by the presence of various substances in the product, such as sugar, acids, proteins, fats, water.

Let's look at how the presence of these components affects the ability of starch to gelatinize.

Water is an essential substance for all foods. To assess the effect of water on starch gelatinization, consider the indicator water activity... It shows how much water is available to participate in various transformations. The activity of water is influenced by the presence of various water-binding substances (sugar, salt, etc.), the more there are, the less water will participate in chemical transformations. Therefore, the addition of various water-binding substances leads to a decrease in water activity, which in turn leads to inhibition of the gelatinization process.

Sugar. A large amount of sugar reduces the strength of starch gels and the rate of gelatinization of starch.

Fats, which are capable of forming complexes with amylose, reduce the swelling rate of starch grains. This is because the complexes formed make it difficult for water to access the starch molecule. As a result, in white bread, in which there is little fat, almost all the starch is gelatinized.

Acids. Most food products have a pH value of 4 to 7. In this range, there is no significant effect on starch gelatinization. At low acidity, the viscosity of starch solutions decreases upon heating, as well as a decrease in the peak viscosity. This is because acid hydrolysis occurs at low pH values, with the formation of non-thickening dextrins. To avoid liquefaction of starch paste at increased acidity, modified cross-linked starches are used. They have very large molecules and therefore the result of hydrolysis is hardly noticeable.

In the production of frozen products, during defrosting, the process of retrogradation (restoration of the original structure) of amylose is possible. Which can lead to a change in the consistency of the product. In the production of such products, it is recommended to use waxy corn, which does not contain amylose, or modified starches.

No matter what nutritionists and lovers of healthy diets say, starch is one of the most important substances in the diet.

At one time, it was the beginning of the use of starch that led to the fact that man began to rapidly conquer the territories of the planet hitherto inaccessible to him: before the domestication of fire, ancient people were forced to receive the bulk of their energy from animal meat. It was only after the fire became possible to cook starchy foods - grains and root crops - that people ceased to be attached to the herds of their smaller brothers.

Starch is the main source of energy for modern humans. But according to doctors, its properties are the cause of numerous diseases associated with metabolic disorders. Consider the chemical composition of starch.

Starch composition

From a purely scientific point of view, starch is a large amount of simple sugars, assembled in long and sometimes branched chains. The basic unit of one such chain is glucose, the one that plays the role of an energy source in the human body.

Each long chain can bend, twist and fold many times, resulting in microscopic granules that resemble flour grains. In fact, flour is also a mixture of starch and some related substances.

If you rub the starch between your fingers or squeeze a lump of it in your palm, you can hear a characteristic creak. This sound is created when the particles rub against each other: they are hard enough and do not collapse under such an impact.

In nature, in plant organisms, it is formed by the sequential combination of a large number of glucose molecules. And glucose is synthesized before that from water and carbon dioxide.

For most plants, starch is the main accumulator of energy resources. That is why its active storage occurs in seeds, tubers and roots. More than half of the composition of wheat or corn grain is starch.

Physically, it is a white, odorless, tasteless powder, insoluble in. However, when it gets into water, it forms numerous colloidal particles, which at high concentration create a thick, viscous mass. It is called paste.

Due to the fact that starch is stored in large quantities by plants, it is quite easy to get it ready-made, rather than synthesize it anew. Associated with this are industrial methods for producing starch.

Methods of obtaining

Depending on the raw material for obtaining the substance, potato, corn, rice, wheat, sorghum and other types of starch are distinguished. They all differ slightly from each other in properties and in the presence of additional substances in their composition.

When starch is obtained from grains, the mass of raw materials is soaked and ground, which makes it possible to remove the embryos from the seeds. The remaining endosperm is subjected to repeated grinding, isolation (physical or chemical) of the substances contained in it and drying. As a result, a certain amount of and may be included in the starch composition.

A similar procedure is carried out for, with the only difference that in this operation the procedure for removing the embryos is replaced by the removal of potato juice and peel.

Most often, the production of starch is based precisely on the processing of potatoes. Moreover, its content in potato tubers is no more than 25%, while various cereal starch contains from 65% to 80%. Potatoes are preferred for the reason that grinding them does not lead to such a rapid deterioration of equipment as grinding cereals, and in general, the process of obtaining starch from it turns out to be simpler.

Modified starch is by no means GMO. Starch is not an organism, it has no genes, and modification in it occurs only at the level of the saccharide structure. Changing this structure for a person does not have any harm.

Application

But starch is used in the food industry no less widely than in nature. It is a necessary ingredient in the preparation of various jelly, sauces, creams, sausages and baked goods. The overwhelming majority of sausages also contain starch to give them a denser consistency.

Most often for culinary purposes, this component is used to thicken the product and bind some of the liquid in it. For example, when making jelly or. For this, modified starch is often used.

The use of starch in cooking is not the only form of its use. Ethanol, molasses and various adhesives are made from it. Starch is used in huge volumes by the cellulose industry. The powder is used for filling and processing paper. It is also used for processing fabrics and other textile products.

Together, the textile and pulp industries consume more starch than the food industry.

Benefit and harm

Starch is a twofold product. On the one hand, its composition is a storehouse of energy. It is thanks to the abundance of starch in grains and cereals that baked goods and various cereals are so nutritious. In addition, starch, containing an increased amount of amylose, acts as a kind of intestinal massager. It breaks down worse than starch with a high content of amylopectin, and therefore, forming a lump in the intestine, has the properties of stimulating its work, improving digestion and reducing cholesterol absorption.

An additional beneficial property of starch is that in the digestive tract, it helps the body recover from a jump in blood sugar levels in diabetics.

On the other hand, the harm of starch is known to everyone watching their figure. In many cases, it is he who is the cause of weight gain, giving a person an excess amount of calories.

Therefore, like most high-calorie foods, starch is valuable for a strong and mobile body that spends a lot of calories and needs a stable supply of energy and good functioning of the digestive system.

Corn or potato starch can usually be found on store shelves next to flour, soda, sugar, and salt. If there is no supermarket within walking distance - look among the natural products for baking in the online store. One package usually lasts a very long time.

The main types of starch:

Potato starch - obtained from potato tubers, forms a viscous transparent paste.

The main task of the production of potato starch is the maximum extraction of starch by breaking the largest number of tuber cells and further purification of starch grains from insoluble and soluble impurities.

In order to obtain high quality finished products, good quality raw materials (raw potatoes) is very important, and sometimes even decisive. The white color of starch is important when used as an auxiliary material in textile, paper, printing, food and other industries. Of great importance for many industries is the viscosity of starch paste obtained by heating a mixture of starch with water. A feature of potato starch that distinguishes it from many other starches (for example, obtained from corn, wheat, etc.) is the high initial viscosity of the starch paste. However, if the technological process is not carried out correctly, the viscosity of such a paste candecrease greatly. The main influence on this is exerted by the long stay of starch grains in water containing a significant concentration of cell sap, the presence of dissolved calcium and magnesium salts (water hardness) and some other factors. Raw starch is poorly preserved due to its high moisture content. Therefore, immediately after production, it is advisable to dehydrate it (in centrifuges), and then either immediately dry it or process it to obtain other types of finished products.

The starch yield most of all depends on the starchiness of the potato and the quality of its grinding.

Corn starch - a milky white opaque paste, has a low viscosity, with a smell and taste characteristic of corn grains.

The production of corn starch includes the following main technological operations:

Soaking grain in a warm solution of dilute sulfurous acid in order to soften the grain and remove most of the soluble substances from it;
- crushing of the soaked grain in order to isolate the embryo;
- isolation and washing of the embryo;
- fine wet grinding of cereal gruel to release bound starch grains trapped in endosperm cells;
- isolation from the starch suspension of particles of grain shells and steaks of endosperm cells, separation of free starch from them by washing and wet sieving;
- separation of starch-protein suspension in order to isolate suspended protein substances;
- rinsing starch to clean it from the residue of mainly dissolved nitrogenous substances.

Wheat starch - has a low viscosity, the paste is more transparent than corn paste.

Currently, two methods of producing wheat starch are most widely used: Martin's method ("sweet" method) and in the USA the "whipped dough" method.

Martin's method is presented schematically:



The "whipped dough" method.

Workers at the Northern Areas Research Laboratory (USA) have proposed a continuous method for obtaining wheat starch and gluten by preparing a thinner dough before washing. Depending on the quality of the flour, it is mixed with water at a temperature of 48-55 ° C in a ratio of 0.7: 1 to 1.8: 1 (soft wheat flour requires less water). Mixing is carried out until a smooth elastic whipped dough is obtained, which is directed to a "cutting" pump (such as a disintegrator), where water is additionally supplied in such an amount that the total ratio of water and dough is brought to 3: 1.

With vigorous stirring, the starch is well separated from the gluten, which is crushed to form small suspended flakes. The flakes are separated from the starch suspension on shaking sieves and additionally washed twice. The separated gluten is dried, and the starch suspension is processed in the usual way and also dried. This method provides for complete mechanization and continuity of production. The yields and losses of the "whipped dough" method are approximately the same as those of Martin's method.

There are also the following types of starch:

1. Amylopectin starch.
Obtained from waxy corn. A paste made from such starch has good viscosity and moisture retention capacity. With iodine solution, amylopectin starch gives a characteristic reddish-brown coloration.Used to stabilize salad dressings, sauces, creams. Abroad, amylopectin starch is used for the production of various adhesives.

2 ... Tapioca (cassava) starch.
The Portuguese word tapioca (in the language of the Indians - tupi-guarani) - cassava sago, obtained from the tubers of a tropical plant - cassava.
Manioc (Manihok utilissima) - a plant from the euphorbia family, native to South America and is a shrub tall
2 - 3 meters. The product is obtained from the starch-rich roots cassava , which is used in dietary nutrition, as well as for the production of starch.
The purest, without impurities, is tapioca starch, which is obtained from cassava tubers. Its paste is more viscous than corn paste. This starch is used very actively - however, only in the food industry: as a thickener in ready-made soups, sauces and gravies, and also as a binder in meat production.

3. Rice starch.
Forms opaque
low viscosity pastes with high storage stability. Rice starch is used as a stabilizer for white sauces, making them resistant to freezing and thawing, and for making puddings. Uniform grain size, small grain size make rice starch convenient for preparing perfumery products. It is also used in the textile and paper industries.

4. Sorghum starch
In terms of physical and chemical properties, it is close to corn. It is used in the same industries and for the same purposes as cornstarch.

In addition to traditional types of raw materials (potatoes, corn, wheat), for the production of starch in some regions, such types of starch-containing raw materials asbarley, rye, peas.



What is Modified Starch?

A substance called "modified starch" has nothing to do with genetically modified foods. It is a regular starch with additives needed for specific purposes. For example, starch forms jelly with gelatin. But genetically modified starch cannot exist in principle. And that's why:
Suppose the starch that we bought in the dessert we bought is derived from corn. Let's also imagine that this corn is genetically modified. Then the grain, flour, cereals and silage obtained from it will also be genetically modified, since they contain the DNA of this corn. Although starch is an organic substance (it is a glucose polymer - a polysaccharide), it is not a living entity. It has no cells or parts of the same corn, no DNA, which means there are no genes. Glucose is synthesized by all plants, and depending on which plant synthesized it, the taste of glucose and its composition do not change. As in chemistry - the formula of a substance does not change from the way it is obtained. Poisonous goldenrod and sweet grapes both produce the same glucose. To make it easier to store, the body creates a polymer - starch. Plants usually store it in tubers, roots, supply them with seeds. A person can synthesize starch from glucose, but it is much more profitable to get it from crops rich in starch - potatoes, for example.

In the list of food additives, stabilizers and thickeners (starches) are presented in the groupE999 – E1521.In the Russian Federation, the use of more than 20 types of modified starches is allowed. Here is some of them:
E1403 - Bleached starch(canned vegetables and mushrooms, canned sardines and similar foods, flavored yoghurts and other fermented milk products)
E 1404 - oxidized starch(canned baby food, soups and broths)

E1405 - Enzyme-treated starch

E1410 - Monocarch phosphate

E1411 - distarch glycerin

E 1412 - distarch phosphate




Starch is made up of glucose molecules and is a complex carbohydrate. Starches in different plants differ somewhat in grain structure, degree of molecular polymerization, structure of polymer chains, and physicochemical properties. Amylopectin and amylose are isolated.

Amylopectin one of the main polysaccharides of starch, consisting of branched chains of glucose molecules. Amylose- one of the main starch polysaccharides, consisting of linear or weakly branched chains.

In amylose, these residues are connected between the 1st and 4th carbon atoms, and in amylopectin, both between the 1st and 4th, as well as the 1st and 6th.

Therefore, amylose is a linear polysaccharide containing, on average, 1000 glucose residues, and amylopectin is branched (contains 5000-50,000 glucose residues). Low polymer amylose dissolves in cold water, giving solutions of no more than 1% concentration. Heavier fractions dissolve in hot water. Amylopectin swells in hot water, forming a 5% very viscous paste.

1. Various starches.

Foods with a lot of amylose are less digestible than those with amylopectin. Research from Louisiana State University indicates that amylose starch helps reduce abdominal fat and increases the non-fatty portion of body composition. The effect of enriching wheat with amylose is achieved by blocking the enzymes of the synthesis of soluble starch synthases. (In layman's terms, conditions are created due to which the enzymes responsible for the formation of easily digestible starch stop working in wheat grains. A diet high in resistant starch does not lead to constant secretion of insulin. This contributes to the fact that our body stores less fat than in the case when we eat foods with the so-called high glycemic index - with easily digestible starch, forcing the body to produce insulin to lower blood sugar.

2. Different state of starches.

Moreover, starch can be in two different physical and chemical states: gel and crystals. Starch becomes gel when heated; when cooled, it can partially pass back into a crystalline form in some products.

Of course, heating destroys complex starches. The longer foods are cooked, the higher their glycemic index will be. Therefore, a number of popular tips are gaining importance: soaking cereals significantly shortens the cooking time and keeps complex carbohydrates intact! This is especially true for buckwheat, which, after soaking, can not be boiled.

For our digestive system, all starches have a simpler division:

a) rapidly cleavable(digested in the small intestine, glucose is absorbed into the blood)

b) resistant (resistant) starches, which slowly unfold and reach the large intestine, where they serve as a food source for bacteria. Of course, in this case, they do not affect calories and insulin levels. We'll talk about resistant starch.

Does this mean that resistant starch is the newest discovery of scientists? - Not at all. Resistant starch has always been with us. But only recently have we come to understand its meaning and effects on the body. For a long time, scientists believed that all types of starch are completely digested during digestion. Thanks to more advanced modern research methods, it has been established that some types of starch travel undigested into the large intestine, where, during the fermentation process, they acquire many properties, benefiting from dietary fiber.

Over the past two decades, scientists have greatly improved their knowledge of resistant starch, its sources and physiological properties.

Are all resistant starches the same? No, they are not the same. Today it is customary to talk about 4 classes of resistant starch:

A digestible resistant starch found in seeds, legumes, and unprocessed whole grains. This is starch, which is extremely difficult for our digestive system to reach due to the fact that it is covered with a fibrous sheath.

Resistant starch, found in its naturally granular form, for example in raw potatoes, unripe bananas, green banana flour and corn, is high in amylose.

Resistant starch formed in cooked and chilled starchy foods: bread, cereals (cornflakes, cooked and chilled potatoes, cold rice, chilled pasta, croutons, etc.). For digestive enzymes, the breakdown of crystalline starch (class PK3) presents some difficulty.

Selective chemically modified resistant starches that do not exist in their natural form. We are not interested in them.


What is the physiological role of resistant starch?

1. First, in lowering sugar levels after food hyperglycemia, which is extremely important for patients with diabetes mellitus. Also, indigestible starch improves the sensitivity of cells to insulin, lowers blood cholesterol levels and promotes earlier satiety, and therefore products containing it can be used for weight loss. The authors of the study recruited obese men, some of whom received a diet containing 27 g of non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) and 5 g of resistant starch daily for a week. Then, for three weeks, half were on a diet containing 42 g of NSP and 2.5 g of resistant starch, and the other half - 16 g of NSP and 25 g of resistant starch. Those receiving high doses of starch had lower levels of insulin resistance (Nutrients. 2013).

According to some reports, if you eat 15-30 grams of resistant starch per day, then in just four weeks, insulin sensitivity increases by 33-50 percent. Here the so-called "second meal effect" is triggered, when after consuming resistant starch, the peak of blood glucose decreases at the next meal. This is important for those people who have problems with blood sugar levels, such as diabetics.

2. Secondly, in bifidogenic activity due to prebiotic properties. As you know, the large intestine is home to a microflora that converts starch into organic acids. Colon bacteria convert resistant starch primarily into butyric acid and other short chains of saturated fatty acids, which serve as an ideal "fuel" for the cells of the intestinal walls. The number of bacteria in the human intestinal tract is ten times the number of all cells in our body. It turns out that all the food we eat feeds all of our 10% of the body, and resistant starch and fiber feed the remaining 90%.

3. Thirdly, RK promote the formation of organic acids (lactic, acetic, propionic, and especially butyric), and provide the epithelial cells of the large intestine with energy, stimulate cell differentiation. Resistant starches also contribute to the release of a large amount of butyrate by the intestinal microflora, which supports the angioproliferative and anti-inflammatory defense of the body. There is evidence that butyric acid reduces inflammation in the intestines

4. The mechanism of action of RK includes an increase in the parameters of the intestinal tract immunity, a change in the immune parameters and the lipid state of the blood. A study by Australian scientists found that indigestible starch, found in potatoes, legumes and whole grains, may help offset the effects of high consumption of red meat on an increased risk of bowel cancer. The results of this work were published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research.

A diet high in red meat increases the risk of colon cancer, while indigestible starch, in contrast, protects against the development of intestinal tumors. Such resistant starch is resistant to enzymatic digestion in the small intestine and acts like dietary fiber. This type of starch improves intestinal motility and is used by gut bacteria to produce short-chain fatty acids (such as butyrate), which reduce the level of oncogenic microRNA molecules that contribute to the development of colorectal cancer (colon and rectal cancer).

Requirements and sources of resistant starch.

1. The minimum rate is from ten grams, 25 grams on average, resistant starch from different sources, can go up to 50 grams.

2. Resistant starch is found in foods such as bananas (especially greens), greens, potatoes, legumes, oatmeal, brown (unpolished) rice, whole grain pasta, and wholemeal breads. Half a cup of these legumes will add 2-4 grams of resistant starch. the proportion of resistant starches ranges from 1.2-1.7% (of the total starch content) in bread to 25% in boiled peas.

3. Depending on how the food is prepared, the amount of resistant starch will vary. For example, if bananas are allowed to ripen, resistant starch turns into regular starch. The same thing happens when we fry or boil potatoes, and so on. In general, heat treatment plays a decisive role in how much resistant starch remains in the product. The amount of resistant starch in potatoes is highly dependent on processing and cooking methods. For example, cooking and then chilling potatoes almost doubles the resistant starch.

Potato flour - ground dried potatoes. 80% of this flour consists of starch, and 97.6% of this starch is resistant. Start testing resistant starch in the form of potato flour. Start with a couple of teaspoons a day and gradually work up to 3-4 tablespoons. You can dilute it in water or fatty yogurt and drink it, or add it to cold sauces, or ready-made cold dishes. Increasing the dose further will not do any good.

You can also make a sauce with real resistant starch. You can buy it or make it yourself (see infographic). Only when cooking the sauce, do not heat the starch above 40 degrees, otherwise it will become unhealthy (it will contain significantly less resistant starch).

Sources of resistant starch

g RK per 100 g of food

Puffed wheat

White beans (boiled)

Banana (raw)

Potato chips

Lentils (boiled)

Corn flakes

Potatoes (cooked and chilled)