Prepareration and Structural Characterization of Gelatinized Potato Starch Gel Beads

In order to delay the digestion of potato starch, gelatinized potato starch and its chlorogenic acid complex were encapsulated within sodium alginate to form gel beads to form gel beads. The structural characterization, performance determination, and digestion characteristics of these gel beads were analyzed in this study. Scanning electron microscope results showed that the gelatinized potato starch-chlorogenic acid complex gel beads possessed a dense reticular structure, which helped to maintain the integrity of the beads during digestion process, effectively improving the digestibility of potato starch. The results of Fourier infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction showed that gelatinized potato starch and chlorogenic acid formed a complex through non-covalent bonding, and the relative crystallinity of potato starch gel beads decreased from 9.68%±0.23% to 8.47%±0.13%. Furthermore, the addition of chlorogenic acid to gelatinized potato starch gel beads could improve the viscoelasticity. The shear viscosity decreased from 348.00 Pa·s and 315.00 Pa·s to 0.67 Pa·s and 0.26 Pa·s, and the subsequent preparation of gel beads, the content of fast-digestible starch decreased from 6.73%±0.09% to 6.18%±0.05%, while the content of slow-digestible starch rose from 11.14%±0.28% to 12.43%±0.05%. In conclusion, the gel beads developed in this study could improve the digestive characteristics of potato starch, broaden the application of potato starch in the food industry, and provided technical support for the development of personalized and functional products.