Development of Foods High in Slowly Digestible and Resistant Starch

Glycemic index (GI) is a variable related to nutritional quality of foods. Differences in glycemic and insulinemic responses to dietary starch are related to the starch fractions digestion. Recently, development of starchy functional ingredients and foods are trends in carbohydrates research. Slowly digestible (SDS) and resistant starch (RS) are two fractions of starch digestion described around 25years ago (Englyst et al., 1992). These fractions have been widely studied due to its benefits on human health. Both were involved in a concept named “nutraceutical starch.” Some researchers reported SDS uses for control and prevention of hyperglycemic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases (Cook et al., 2003; Giugliano et al., 2006; Hu et al., 2004; Jenkins et al., 2002; Zhang and Hamaker, 2009). RS is neither digested nor absorbed in the small intestine, with low caloric supply; RS is fermented in the large bowel with production of short-chain fatty acids, which are related to colon cancer prevention, decreased cholesterol production, inhibited fat accumulation, and increased absorption of minerals (Annison and Topping, 1994).