Molecular mechanism of taurine promotes the interaction between rice starch and soy lecithin

This study investigated how taurine zwitterions modulate the interaction between rice starch and soy lecithin in hydrothermal systems, aiming to overcome the low embedding efficiency observed in traditional methods. Significantly, we achieved a peak starch-soy lecithin complex index (CI) of 69.16 %, which was crucial in demonstrating the effectiveness of our approach. Through advanced analytical techniques like Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman Spectroscopy, and ¹H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectra (¹HNMR), we elucidated the molecular mechanism. It was revealed that taurine disrupted hydrogen bonds among starch molecules, leading to increased amylose dissolution. Consequently, the molecular interaction between rice starch and soy lecithin was enhanced. Moreover, the addition of taurine enhanced the thermal stability of the complex, increased the content of resistant starch (RS) by 16 % and slowly digestible starch (SDS) by 14 %, while reducing solubility and swelling 5.12 by % and 6.05 % respectively. These findings hold great promise for practical applications in the food industry, including the development of functional foods with improved nutritional profiles and enhanced stability during processing.