PHYSICOCHEMICAL CHANGES OF CORN STARCH DURING LACTIC ACID FERMENTATION WITH Lactobacillus bulgaricus

Lactic acid fermentation with L. bulgaricus induced large changes in the morphology of corn starch granules. The production of amylolytic enzymes as well as lactic acid produced fractures along the granule hilum, which led to disintegration of starch granules at long fermentation times. On the other hand, lactic acid fermentation increased crystallinity and double-helices structures, which led to increased susceptibility to acidic hydrolysis. In fact, thermal analysis results indicated than an improved internal organization of granule residues occurred. In general, the results showed that the fermentation time can be considered as a suitable parameter for modulating the physicochemical properties of corn starch granules. Additionally, it can be postulated that lactic acid fermentation of starchy food matrices has a positive effect on the acidic digestibility of starch granules, by improving the content of resistant starch fractions