Resistant Starch and Slowly Digestible Starch

In society, fibre consumption has been reduced significantly and is far below the recommended level. One of the main reasons is change in life style, which resulted in reduction in the consumption of fruits, vegetables and legumes. To increase fibre intake many fibre-enriched products have been developed. SDS and RS as the novel functional components in products deliver a slow and prolonged release of glucose when ingested, resulting in a lower GI. RS has recently been recognized as a dietary starch that escapes digestion in the small intestine and is fermented in the colon producing short chain fatty acids that provides various health benefits including prevention of colon cancer, reduced risk of diabetes, reduction in total cholesterol, promotion of growth of beneficial microflora of colon, improved laxation etc. Interaction of RS and SDS with certain nutrients like wheat bran, cellulose and protein promotes its health benefits. Technically, it is possible to prepare RS and SDS by different physical, enzymatic and chemical modifications. The unique properties of RS and SDS, that is, bland flavor, fine particle size, high gelatinization temperature, good extrusion and film forming qualities and lower water holding properties make the formulation of wide range of food products possible with improved organoleptic qualities as compared with traditional high-fibre products.