Research Progress on the Effect of Non-thermal Processing Technology on the Structural Properties of Starch

Non-thermal processing technology has been widely used in starch modification because of its advantages such as environmental friendliness, safety and high efficiency. After non-thermal modification, changes in the granular morphology, crystal shape, crystallinity and helical structure of starch will affect its gelatinization and retrogradation characteristics, solubility and digestibility. Changes in functional characteristics can further improve the practical application of starch. In this paper, the principles of six non-thermal processing technologies for starch modification, namely, ball milling, pulse electric field, high pressure, ultrasound, radiation and plasma are reviewed, the importance of non-thermal technology for starch granule structure as well as the effect of starch structural changes at different levels on its functional properties are discussed, and future prospects for the application of non-thermal technology in starch deep processing are proposed.