Hierarchical Structure of Black Wheat Starch Modified by High Pressure Heat‐Moisture Treatment and the Modulation on Its Physicochemical Properties

Black wheat starch (BWS) with greater brightness and greenness was isolated in this study, which contained phenolics content of 16.52 mg/100 g. It was modified by high pressure heat-moisture treatment (HPMT). Changes in its physicochemical property were investigated on the basis of hierarchical structure. Enhancing moisture content (MC) of HPMT expedited granules' disruption, crystallinity loss, loosening of semi-crystalline lamellae, debranching of amylopectin, and long chains' breakdown. Besides molecular disordering, it increased chains' flexibility to rearrange into new architecture and interact with phenolics. As a result, modified starch showed enhanced cold-water swelling power (up to 6.91 g/g) and thermal stability (with a peak temperature of gelatinization up to 76.09°C), although its pasting viscosity decreased. Furthermore, HPMT (especially that with higher MC) resulted in softer starch gels (with hardness of 68.92∼106.89 g) with enhanced anti-retrogradation capacity. The modified gels also had greater adhesiveness (-34.36∼-52.09 g·s), which is decisive for starch dough formation. Owing to the presence of phenolics and special functionalities, HPMT-modified BWS exhibited the potential to develop health-promoting gluten-free foods.