Formation of inclusion complexes between high amylose starch and octadecyl ferulate via steam jet cooking

• Amylose complexes were prepared from high amylose starch and octadecyl ferulate.
• A 61 V-type inclusion complex was identified by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy.
• Complexation formation depended on octadecyl ferulate's lipophilic alkyl chain.
• Steam jet cooking was used to simply prepare the complex.
• 7.5 wt% loading of octadecyl ferulate into the complex was accomplished.

Amylose-ligand inclusion complexes represent an interesting approach to deliver bioactive molecules. However, ferulic acid has been shown not to form single helical inclusion complexes with amylose from high amylose maize starch. To overcome this problem a lipophilic ferulic acid ester, octadecyl ferulate, was prepared and complexed with amylose via excess steam jet cooking. Jet-cooking octadecyl ferulate and high amylose starch gave an amylose–octadecyl ferulate inclusion complex in 51.0% isolated yield. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) confirmed that a 61 V-type inclusion complex was formed. Amylose and extraction assays showed the complex to be enriched in amylose (91.9 ± 4.3%) and contain 70.6 ± 5.6 mg g−1 octadecyl ferulate, although, minor hydrolysis (∼4%) of the octadecyl ferulate was observed under the excess steam jet-cooking conditions utilized. This study demonstrates that steam jet cooking is a rapid and scalable process in which to prepare amylose–octadecyl ferulate inclusion complexes.