Branch chain elongation by amylosucrase: Production of waxy corn starch with a slow digestion property

Starches with high slowly digestible starch (SDS) contents were prepared by treating completely gelatinized waxy corn starch with amylosucrase. The structural properties of the prepared starches were then investigated. The content of SDS increased by up to 38.7% after amylosucrase modification, and the portion of chains with degree of polymerisation (DP) 25–36 increased, while the portion of chains with DP⩽12 decreased. Amylosucrase-modified starches showed a weak B-type crystalline structure. A slight increase in the degree of relative crystallinity was observed with increased reaction time. The thermal properties, including melting temperature and enthalpy, of the amylosucrase-modified starches were higher than for the control starch. Although the amylosucrase-modified starches showed varying structural properties according to reaction time (1–45h), their digestibilities did not change much after 6h. By controlling the reaction time of the amylosucrase treatment, a tailored starchy food containing the desired amount of SDS can be produced.