Supramolecular structure of jackfruit seed starch and its relationship with digestibility and physicochemical properties

• Jackfruit seed starch (JSS) had higher resistant starch content than other starches.
• High crystallinity and ordered semi-crystalline lamellae were the major reasons for the higher enzyme-resistance of JSS.
• Digestion of JSS occurred mainly at the granule surface.
• Digestion caused slight decrease in crystallinity and lamellar regularity of JSS.

The influence of supramolecular structure on the physicochemical properties and digestibility of jackfruit seed starch (JSS) were investigated. Compared with maize and cassava starches (MS and CS), JSS had smaller granules and higher amylose content (JSS: 24.90%; CS: 16.68%; and MS: 22.42%), which contributed to higher gelatinization temperature (To: 81.11 °C) and setback viscosity (548.9 mPa s). From scanning electron microscopy, the digestion of JSS was observed mainly at the granule surface. Due to its higher crystallinity (JSS: 30.6%; CS: 30.3%; and MS: 27.4%) and more ordered semi-crystalline lamellae, JSS had a high RS content (74.26%) and melting enthalpy (19.61 J/g). In other words, the supramolecular structure of JSS extensively determined its digestibility and resistance to heat and mechanical shear treatment.