IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/caa/jnlcjf/v43y2025i2id33-2025-cjfs.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Crystallinity of starch, food composition, and digestibility of starch

Author

Listed:
  • Evžen Šárka

    (Department of Carbohydrates and Cereals, University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Czech Republic)

  • Petra Smrčková

    (Department of Carbohydrates and Cereals, University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Czech Republic)

  • Marcela Sluková

    (Department of Carbohydrates and Cereals, University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Czech Republic)

Abstract

Starch granules in their native state are insoluble and semi-crystalline. There are three forms of starch/amylopectin in nature: A, B, and C: in cereals (A), tubers and high amylose starches (B), and some varieties of peas and beans (C). Crystallinity and rate of starch hydrolysis depend on the plant species and growing conditions. The changes during food preparation include gelatinisation, the formation of amylose-lipids and amylose-protein complexes, and resistant starch (RS) origin. They are accompanied by changes from crystal to amorphous form and vice versa. Starch in human food is mostly rapidly or slowly digestible. Rapidly digestible starch is formed by gelatinisation, cooking extrusion, breaking down of starch granules, or hydrolysis to maltodextrins. By definition, RS is not digested in the small intestine. This review addresses the influences of biochemical processes in the human body on starch digestibility. It is strongly influenced by the degree of chewing, the activity of α-amylase in the intestine, and transit time through the stomach and small intestine. Resistant starch and endogenous intestinal mucus support the growth of specialist microbes in the large intestine that produce a variety of short-chain fatty acids, causing the perception of satiety, lowering pH, and inhibiting pathogens in the colon.

Suggested Citation

  • Evžen Šárka & Petra Smrčková & Marcela Sluková, 2025. "Crystallinity of starch, food composition, and digestibility of starch," Czech Journal of Food Sciences, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 43(2), pages 90-104.
    • Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlcjf:v:43:y:2025:i:2:id:33-2025-cjfs
    DOI: 10.17221/33/2025-CJFS
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://cjfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/33/2025-CJFS.html
    Download Restriction: free of charge
    File URL: http://cjfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/33/2025-CJFS.pdf
    Download Restriction: free of charge
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.17221/33/2025-CJFS?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Crislayne Teodoro Vasques & Maiara Pereira Mendes & Denise de Moraes Batista da Silva & Claudia Cirineo Ferreira Monteiro & Antonio Roberto Giriboni Monteiro, 2022. "Characterisation of bamboo (Bambusa tuldoides) culm flour and its use in cookies," Czech Journal of Food Sciences, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 40(5), pages 345-351.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.

      Corrections

      All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:caa:jnlcjf:v:43:y:2025:i:2:id:33-2025-cjfs. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

      If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

      If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

      If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

      For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Ivo Andrle (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.cazv.cz/en/home/ .

      Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

      IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.