Oat starch, β-glucan, and protein are the primary components in oats with high nutritional value, and the interactions among these three constituents markedly influence the starch properties. High hydrostatic pressure (HHP), recognized as a non-thermal processing technique, is primarily employed for the modification of starch and protein in food processing applications. This study aimed to elucidate the interactions among oat β-glucan, protein, and oat starch under 300 MPa HHP treatment and their effects on starch properties. The results showed that at ambient pressure, β-glucan and protein mainly restricted starch swelling and gelatinization through water competition, leading to reductions in pasting viscosity, gelatinization enthalpy, and relative crystallinity. In contrast, HHP treatment significantly enhanced the intermolecular interactions among the three components, thereby improving the freeze–thaw stability, gel elasticity, short-range ordered structure, and thermal stability of the composite system. The study demonstrates that HHP modifies the physicochemical properties of starch by intensifying interactions among its components, providing a theoretical basis and strategy for the development of novel functional starch-based foods using HHP technology.
Chen et al. (Sat,) studied this question.