Trends in nano-sensors and analytical protocols for detecting starch debranching enzyme activity and resistant starch quantification in foods

Debranching enzymes (DBEs) are responsible for cleavage of the α-1, 6, glycosidic linkage (amylopectin) of polysaccharide (starch) chains and commonly used in the starch industries. This enzymatic action generates the debranched starch, that is, short-chain glucans that are directly linked to resistant starch (RS) known to be beneficial for human gut health, glycemic index (GI) controlling, etc. In view of the demand for healthy food choices by consumers, the food industries are looking for low cost and rapid sensors for detecting the DBE activity and the RS content in their new products development. The Nelson-Somogyi (NS) and 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid (DNS) assays are traditional methods for assessing starch DBE activity. The investigation of high-throughput nanomaterial-based biosensors have great potential as an alternate to the high-cost chromatographic techniques and useful to the industrial and laboratory-scale usage in the food processing sector. This review explores various nanomaterial-based methods for evaluating starch DBE activity and RS estimation.