Debranched Lentil Starch-Sodium Alginate-Based Encapsulated Particles of GG: Morphology, Structural Characterization, In Vitro Release Behavior, and Storage Stability.

Starches with different degrees of debranching (DBS30, DBS60, and DBS90) and sodium alginate were used as the wall material for encapsulating particles of GG (LGG). The structural characteristics of these encapsulated particles were examined, along with the impact of varying levels of debranching on the encapsulation efficiency, the in vitro release of LGG under the simulated gastrointestinal environment, and the storage stability of the encapsulated particles. The results revealed a transformation in the crystalline polymorph from C- to B+V-type following debranching and retrogradation. This process also resulted in a significant decrease in molecular weight and polydispersity index, accompanied by an increase in amylose and resistant starch levels along with the relative crystallinity of the debranched lentil starch. Comparatively, DBS60-LGG and DBS90-LGG exhibited higher encapsulation efficiency and encapsulation yield than UDBS-LGG and DBS30-LGG. Furthermore, these encapsulated particles provided enhanced protection for LGG in both the simulated gastrointestinal environment and the storage process. It can be inferred that a superior encapsulation performance of the debranched lentil starch-sodium alginate-based encapsulated LGG particles was associated with higher debranching levels, a more uniform molecular weight distribution, and a more ordered multi-scale structure of the debranched lentil starch.