Starch-anthocyanins complex: Characterization, digestibility, and mechanism

Starch, as a sustainable polymer, is the main source of energy for human beings. However, natural starch usually has some disadvantages, such as unstable structure, and high glycemic index (GI) value, etc. The high GI value can lead to rapid fluctuations in blood glucose, which is harmful to human health. At present, there are diverse starch modification methods to solve this problem. For instance, physical, chemical, and enzymatic modification and so on. Among them, more attention has been paid to the modification of starch by natural pigments, due to the better safety of natural pigments and the resistance of humans to chemical synthetic pigments. Anthocyanins, as one of the natural pigments, are easily available. It is a very promising starch modifier as it possesses various biological activities, such as antioxidant and anticancer. Currently, the interaction of anthocyanins and starch has been widely researched. Therefore, in this review, the characterization of the effects of anthocyanins on the physicochemical properties of starch, the types of complexes, and the mechanisms of reducing digestion properties (in vitro and in vivo) were comprehensively analyzed and summarized. The purpose of this article is to provide information for the development of starch-anthocyanins complexes in low GI foods.