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About the Authors:
Ruifang Yang
Contributed equally to this work with: Ruifang Yang, Chunlong Sun
Affiliation: Crop Breeding and Cultivation Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
Chunlong Sun
Contributed equally to this work with: Ruifang Yang, Chunlong Sun
Affiliations Crop Breeding and Cultivation Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China, College of Plant Science, Jilin University, Changchu, China
Jianjiang Bai
Affiliation: Crop Breeding and Cultivation Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
Zhixiang Luo
Affiliation: Rice Research Institute, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anhui, China
Biao Shi
Affiliation: Crop Breeding and Cultivation Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
Jianming Zhang
Affiliation: Crop Breeding and Cultivation Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
Wengui Yan
* E-mail: [email protected] (WY); [email protected] (ZP)
Affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture-Agriculture Research Services, Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center, Stuttgart, Arkansas, United States of America
Zhongze Piao
* E-mail: [email protected] (WY); [email protected] (ZP)
Affiliation: Crop Breeding and Cultivation Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China
Introduction
Starch is the major dietary source of carbohydrates which is composed of two types of molecules, amylose (Am) and amylopectin (Ap) [1], [2]. Am is essentially a linear molecule composed of α (1,4)-linked glucosidic chains, whereas Ap is a highly branched glucan with α (1,6) glucosidic bonds for a connection of linear chains [3]. Based on the characteristics of enzymatic digestion, starch can be classified into rapidly digestible starch (RDS), slowly digestible starch (SDS) and resistant starch (RS) [4], [5]. RS is a small fraction of starch resistant to hydrolysis by exhaustive α-amylase and pullulanase treatment in vitro [5], and is defined as “the sum of starch and products of starch degradation not absorbed in the small intestine of healthy individuals” [6], [7].
RS has similar physiological functions to those of dietary fiber, and is completely resistant to enzymatic digestion in the human small intestine. As a result, RS reaches the large intestine where it acts as substrate for fermentation by microflora [8]. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) are major end products of the fermentation, and these acids are able to promote optimal function of the viscera [9]–[11]. Increasing RS consumption is becoming an effective means to improve nutrition for public...