Process conditions affect starch structure and its interactions with proteins in rice pasta

Structural changes of starch and proteins in rice pasta were investigated as a function of raw-materials and pasta-making conditions, and their impact on cooking behaviour and glycaemic index was assessed. Rice pasta was prepared from untreated or parboiled rice flour by conventional extrusion or by extrusion-cooking. Starch structure was studied by assessing starch accessibility to specific enzymes (α-amylase and pullulanase), and by evaluating the molecular properties of fragments from enzymatic action. Protein solubility in presence/absence of chaotropes and accessibility of protein cysteine thiols allowed to evaluate the intensity and nature of inter-protein interactions. Parboiling stiffens the protein network in rice flour and makes starch more accessible to hydrolysis. Pasta-making induced further changes in the starch structure, that were most evident in pasta made from untreated rice and were mainly related to the amylopectin fraction. Thus, the interplay among structural modifications on starch and/or proteins affects the features of products.