Potential Health Benefits of Potato Starch

Starch is considered a major source of available energy in the human diet. In potato, starch content varies from 70 to 90% on a dry matter basis depending on the botanical variety. The traditional view of starch digestion is that to a large extent starch is rapidly digested. However, a variable fraction of ingested starch can escape digestion in the foregut, and ferment later in the hindgut (RS, resistant starch). Raw potato starch is largely considered as a high RS ingredient. However, potato is mostly consumed processed, which gelatinizes starch at different extents, and this will have an effect on the composition and nutritional values (glycemic index and RS content). In general, processed potato has high levels of digestible starch, although the values may decrease with an increased time of storage after cooking. RS is becoming more desirable in the human diet because of its relevance to health, on the prevention and control of some digestive and metabolic disorders. RS intake, in substitution to digestible starch, seems to decrease postprandial glycemic and insulinemic responses, improve whole body insulin sensitivity, increase satiety, lower plasma cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, and reduce fat storage. RS has also been associated with protective effects on chronic colonic diseases, including reduction of colon cancer risk and in the treatment of bowel inflammatory conditions. In summary, this review presents the current understanding of potato starch and potential health benefits which are likely to be associated with intake of resistant potato starch. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________