Lipid oxidation in glassy and rubbery-state starch extrudates

This work describes the principle of protecting polyunsaturated fatty acids by holding them in the low moisture/solid/glassy-state starch matrix. One strategy already employed commercially is to encapsulate oil droplets within a solid wall that is highly impermeable to oxygen. These microencapsulated powders can then be added to foods. A shorter route would be to add PUFA-rich oils directly into a food formulation during the processing of a low moisture product. This should effectively encapsulate the valuable oils and protect them from oxidation. ω-6 Linoleic acid was incorporated into a waxy maize starch matrix via extrusion cooking. Linoleic acid oxidation occurred when this model food system was held in both the glassy and rubbery states (0.3 and 0.95 Aw, respectively) at 50 °C. The initial oxidation, not surprisingly, occurs near the surface, but interestingly the highest initial rate of lipid oxidation occurred, not in the rubbery samples, but in glassy state starch extrudates with surface micro-cracks.