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Special Issues
Green Processing of Starch: Structure, Function and Application in Food
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Green Processing of Starch: Structure, Function and Application in Food

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Grain".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 15468

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jie Cai

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Guest Editor
Key Laboratory for Deep Processing of Major Grain and Oil, Ministry of Education/National R&D Center for Se-Rich Agricultural Products Processing, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan, China
Interests: carbohydrate; food materials; food nanotechnology; electrospinning; food packaging; delivery of nutraceuticals
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Hanguo Xiong

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Guest Editor
College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agriculture University, Wuhan, China
Interests: carbohydrate; food materials; food nanotechnology; food chemistry
Dr. Zhenjiong Wang

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Guest Editor
College of Food Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Finance and Economics, Nanjing, China
Interests: carbohydrate; starch-based materials; food nanotechnology; food chemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Lei Chen

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Guest Editor
Key Laboratory for Deep Processing of Major Grain and Oil, Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory for Processing and Transformation of Agricultural Products, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China
Interests: carbohydrate; starch-based food materials; food nanotechnology; food chemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As one of the most abundant macromolecules present in biomass, starch has many interesting functions, and shows promising application in food and non-food industry. However, native starch still faces many challenges (e.g., structural stability), attracting increasing attention from of worldwide scientists in starch processes. In recent years, the development of new treatment technologies has endowed starch with more functions, expanding the application in various fields. Amongst these, green processing for starch treatment shows high acceptability in the food industry, which could decrease the food safety risk as well as the pollution of chemical residues in environment. With the advancement of research, the deep mechanisms behind the effects of different methods on starch have received increasing attraction, and the structural variations are key for improved starch properties. To further reveal the mechanisms by which green processing affects starch, investigations of its structure, function and application in food are of great necessity. This Special Issue caters to the needs of green processing in starch-based food, functional food materials, and other starch-derived foods. Apart from this, other interesting aspects of the design and application of green processing in food science are also encouraged. This Special Issue will mainly publish original research papers, review articles and short communications.

Dr. Jie Cai
Prof. Dr. Hanguo Xiong
Dr. Zhenjiong Wang
Dr. Lei Chen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • starch
  • green processing
  • starch-based foods
  • functional food materials
  • starch-derived foods
  • structure and function

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 2631 KiB  
Article
Synergistic Amylase and Debranching Enzyme Catalysis to Improve the Stability of Oat Milk
by Xinyan Zhan, Jinye Zhang, Jiali Xing, Jinyi Xu, Dan Ouyang, Li Wang, Ying Wan and Xiaohu Luo
Foods 2025, 14(7), 1271; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14071271 - 5 Apr 2025
Viewed by 421
Abstract
Oat starch plays a crucial role in the stability of oat milk. Enzyme-hydrolyzed oat starch has been demonstrated to be an effective means of improving the stability of oat milk. The effects of different enzyme combinations on the stability of oat milk and [...] Read more.
Oat starch plays a crucial role in the stability of oat milk. Enzyme-hydrolyzed oat starch has been demonstrated to be an effective means of improving the stability of oat milk. The effects of different enzyme combinations on the stability of oat milk and the properties of starch in oats were investigated by adding α-amylase, amyloglucosidase, and different ratios of pullulanase and isoamylase. The results showed that as the degree of hydrolysis increased, the molecular weight, amylose content, and side chain length distribution of the starch decreased significantly. Moreover, compared with oat starch, the rheological and emulsifying properties of the starch hydrolysates were improved, and the characterization of emulsion stability showed that a 1:2 ratio of pullulanase to isoamylase promoted effective debranching and thus improved the stability of oat milk. This study demonstrated that debranching enzymes enhance the enzymatic hydrolysis of beverages and improve the physicochemical properties and stability of oat milk. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Processing of Starch: Structure, Function and Application in Food)
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11 pages, 1358 KiB  
Article
Effect of Mild Alkali Treatment on the Structure and Physicochemical Properties of Normal and Waxy Rice Starches
by Zekun Xu, Xiaoning Liu, Chuangchuang Zhang, Mengting Ma, Zhongquan Sui and Harold Corke
Foods 2024, 13(15), 2449; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13152449 - 2 Aug 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1598
Abstract
Mild alkali treatment can potentially be developed as a greener alternative to the traditional alkali treatment of starch, but the effect of mild alkali on starch is still understudied. Normal and waxy rice starches were subjected to mild alkali combined with hydrothermal treatment [...] Read more.
Mild alkali treatment can potentially be developed as a greener alternative to the traditional alkali treatment of starch, but the effect of mild alkali on starch is still understudied. Normal and waxy rice starches were subjected to mild alkali combined with hydrothermal treatment to investigate their changes in physicochemical properties. After mild alkali treatment, the protein content of normal and waxy rice starches decreased from 0.76% to 0.23% and from 0.89% to 0.23%, respectively. Mild alkali treatment decreased gelatinization temperature but increased the swelling power and solubility of both starches. Mild alkali treatment also increased the gelatinization enthalpy of waxy rice starch from 20.01 J/g to 25.04 J/g. Mild alkali treatment at room temperature increased the pasting viscosities of both normal and waxy rice starches, whereas at high temperature, it decreased pasting viscosities during hydrothermal treatment. Alkali treatment significantly changed the properties of normal and waxy rice starch by the ionization of hydroxyl groups and the removal of starch granule-associated proteins. Hydrothermal conditions promoted the effect of alkali. The combination of hydrothermal and alkali treatment led to greater changes in starch properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Processing of Starch: Structure, Function and Application in Food)
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14 pages, 3111 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Terminal Freezing and Thawing on the Quality of Frozen Dough: From the View of Water, Starch, and Protein Properties
by Xiaorong Liu, Luncai Chen, Lei Chen, Dezheng Liu, Hongyan Liu, Dengyue Jiang, Yang Fu and Xuedong Wang
Foods 2023, 12(21), 3888; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12213888 - 24 Oct 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2552
Abstract
Frozen dough is suitable for industrial cold chain transportation, but usually experiences temperature fluctuations through the cold chain to the store after being refrigerated in a factory, seriously damaging the product yield. In order to analyze the influence mechanism of temperature fluctuation during [...] Read more.
Frozen dough is suitable for industrial cold chain transportation, but usually experiences temperature fluctuations through the cold chain to the store after being refrigerated in a factory, seriously damaging the product yield. In order to analyze the influence mechanism of temperature fluctuation during the terminal cold chain on frozen dough, the effects of terminal freezing and thawing (TFT) on the quality (texture and rheology) and component (water, starch, protein) behaviors of dough were investigated. Results showed that the TFT treatment significantly increased the hardness and decreased the springiness of dough and that the storage modules were also reduced. Furthermore, TFT increased the content of freezable water and reduced the bound water with increased migration. Additionally, the peak viscosity and breakdown value after TFT with the increased number of cycles were also increased. Moreover, the protein characteristics showed that the low-molecular-weight region and the β-sheet in the gluten secondary structure after the TFT treatment were increased, which was confirmed by the increased number of free sulfhydryl groups. Microstructure results showed that pores and loose connection were observed during the TFT treatment. In conclusion, the theoretical support was provided for understanding and eliminating the influence of the terminal nodes in a cold chain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Processing of Starch: Structure, Function and Application in Food)
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11 pages, 1503 KiB  
Article
High-Fat Diet Aggravates the Disorder of Glucose Metabolism Caused by Chlorpyrifos Exposure in Experimental Rats
by Jinwang Li, Xiude Li, Zhihui Zhang, Weilong Cheng, Guangmin Liu and Guoping Zhao
Foods 2023, 12(4), 816; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12040816 - 14 Feb 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2355
Abstract
Epidemiological research has demonstrated that the increase in high fat consumption has promoted the morbidity of diabetes. Exposure to organophosphorus pesticides (such as chlorpyrifos) may also increase the risk of diabetes. Although chlorpyrifos is a frequently detected organophosphorus pesticide, the interaction effect between [...] Read more.
Epidemiological research has demonstrated that the increase in high fat consumption has promoted the morbidity of diabetes. Exposure to organophosphorus pesticides (such as chlorpyrifos) may also increase the risk of diabetes. Although chlorpyrifos is a frequently detected organophosphorus pesticide, the interaction effect between chlorpyrifos exposure and a high-fat diet on glucose metabolism is still unclear. Thus, the effects of chlorpyrifos exposure on glucose metabolism in rats eating a normal-fat diet or a high-fat diet were investigated. The results demonstrated that the glycogen content in the liver decreased and that the glucose content increased in chlorpyrifos-treated groups. Remarkably, the ATP consumption in the chlorpyrifos-treatment group was promoted in the rats eating a high-fat diet. However, chlorpyrifos treatment did not change the serum levels of insulin and glucagon. Notably, the contents of liver ALT and AST changed more significantly in the high-fat chlorpyrifos-exposed group than in the normal-fat chlorpyrifos-exposed group. Chlorpyrifos exposure caused an increase in the liver MDA level and a decrease in the enzyme activities of GSH-Px, CAT, and SOD, and the changes were more significant in the high-fat chlorpyrifos-treatment group. The results indicated that chlorpyrifos exposure led to disordered glucose metabolism in all dietary patterns as a result of antioxidant damage in the liver, in which a high-fat diet may have aggravated its toxicity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Processing of Starch: Structure, Function and Application in Food)
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11 pages, 3870 KiB  
Article
Selenium Nanoparticles Synergistically Stabilized by Starch Microgel and EGCG: Synthesis, Characterization, and Bioactivity
by Jiaojiao Zhou, Yuantao Liu, Yili Hu, Die Zhang, Wei Xu, Lei Chen, Jiangling He, Shuiyuan Cheng and Jie Cai
Foods 2023, 12(1), 13; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12010013 - 20 Dec 2022
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2643
Abstract
Selenium (Se) is a chemical element essential to human health because of its bioactive properties, including antioxidative, anticancer, and immunomodulating activities. Despite the high therapeutic potential of Se, its intrinsic properties of poor stability, a narrow therapeutic window, and low bioavailability and bioactivity [...] Read more.
Selenium (Se) is a chemical element essential to human health because of its bioactive properties, including antioxidative, anticancer, and immunomodulating activities. Despite the high therapeutic potential of Se, its intrinsic properties of poor stability, a narrow therapeutic window, and low bioavailability and bioactivity have limited its clinical applications. Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) exhibit lower toxicity and higher bioactivity than other Se forms. Herein, we report a green method for the preparation of monodisperse SeNPs with starch microgel (SM) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) through Se-O bonds and polysaccharide–polyphenol interactions (namely, SM-EGCG-SeNPs). SM-EGCG-SeNPs showed higher stability, bioactivities, and cytotoxicity than SeNPs and SM-SeNPs at the equivalent dose. SM-EGCG-SeNPs induced the apoptosis of cancer cells via the activation of several caspases and reactive oxygen species overproduction. This work proposes a facile method for the design and potentiation of structure-bioactive SeNPs via polysaccharide–polyphenol interactions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Processing of Starch: Structure, Function and Application in Food)
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13 pages, 2728 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Temperature Changes on the Rice Starch Structure and Digestive Characteristics: One and Two-Step Annealing
by Guiyuan Xiang, Jiangtao Li, Wenfang Han, Yaqin Yang, Qinlu Lin, Ying Yang, Qiongxiang Liu, Xiaofeng Guo, Qianru Pan, Zhengyu Huang and Lingxue Cao
Foods 2022, 11(22), 3641; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11223641 - 14 Nov 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2840
Abstract
This study investigated the effects of annealing on the structural and physicochemical properties of rice starch below the onset temperature (To) by 5 °C and 15 °C. The results revealed that annealing improved the gelatinization temperature of rice starch, decreased the swelling power, [...] Read more.
This study investigated the effects of annealing on the structural and physicochemical properties of rice starch below the onset temperature (To) by 5 °C and 15 °C. The results revealed that annealing improved the gelatinization temperature of rice starch, decreased the swelling power, solubility, and paste viscosity of rice starch, and had no significant effects on the morphological structure and crystal configuration of rice starch. In one-step annealing, the annealing temperature of 60 °C is more conducive to the rearrangement of starch molecules, so its crystallinity, short-range ordered structure, and gelatinization temperature are higher than at 50 °C; however, its RDS, SDS, and RS contents will be increased. During the two-step annealing treatment, the temperature change is not conducive to the molecular chain rearrangement and to the formation of perfect crystalline structure, which increases the sensitivity of enzymes to starch, so the RDS content of starch increases significantly, while the RS content decreases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Processing of Starch: Structure, Function and Application in Food)
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Review

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21 pages, 664 KiB  
Review
Advancements in Pulse Starches: Exploring Non-Thermal Modification Methods
by Pranita Mhaske, Asgar Farahnaky and Mahsa Majzoobi
Foods 2024, 13(16), 2493; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13162493 - 8 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1849
Abstract
The surge in the global demand for plant-based proteins has catapulted pulse protein into the spotlight. To ensure economic viability and sustainable production, it is crucial to utilize pulse starch, a by-product of plant protein fractionation. Despite the increasing interest in pulse starches, [...] Read more.
The surge in the global demand for plant-based proteins has catapulted pulse protein into the spotlight. To ensure economic viability and sustainable production, it is crucial to utilize pulse starch, a by-product of plant protein fractionation. Despite the increasing interest in pulse starches, there is a notable gap in knowledge regarding their modifications and applications compared to cereal and tuber starches. Non-thermal techniques such as electron beam radiation, static high pressure, microfluidization, and cold plasma are emerging as innovative methods for starch modification. These techniques offer significant advantages, including enhanced safety, environmental sustainability, and the development of unique functional properties unattainable through conventional methods. However, challenges such as equipment availability, high costs, and energy consumption hinder their widespread adoption. In light of the growing emphasis on “clean and green labelling” and effective “waste management” in food production, evaluating non-thermal techniques for pulse starch modification is critical. This review aims to thoroughly assess these non-thermal techniques and their combinations, offering valuable insights for researchers and the food industry. By maximizing the potential of pulse starches in innovative food applications, it provides a comprehensive guide for effective non-thermal methods that add value and align with sustainable practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Processing of Starch: Structure, Function and Application in Food)
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