| FAQ
Q: What is resistant starch and what is it resisting?
A: Most starches are digested and absorbed as sugar in the small intestine. However, some types of starch resist digestion and reach the large intestine. These types of starch are called "resistant starch." In many ways, they act like dietary fiber in the large intestine. They certainly deliver digestive health benefits (including regularity) like dietary fiber. Some experts call resistant starch the third type of dietary fiber (along with soluble fiber and insoluble fiber).
Q: Where do you find resistant starch?
A: Resistant starch can be found naturally in peas and lentils, unprocessed whole grains, under-ripe bananas and beans. In addition, other foods contain low levels of resistant starch, including cooked-and-cooled potatoes, cooked-and-cooled pasta, sushi rice and some breads and cereals. Natural resistant starch (Hi-maize® brand resistant starch) is also available as an ingredient for home baking, supplementation and food manufacturing.
Q: How much resistant starch do we currently eat?
A: On average, Americans eat about 4.8 grams of resistant starch each day from foods such as bread, cereals, pasta, vegetables, bananas and legumes. [1]
Q: What is Hi-maize®?
A: Hi-maize is a natural ingredient made from a specific type of corn which is rich in resistant starch. It is naturally white in color and finely ground so it can be easily incorporated into foods such as bread, biscuits, cereals and pasta by partly replacing ordinary flour. In this way, Hi-maize can improve the nutritional profile of many processed and home baked foods.
Q: Is Hi-maize genetically modified (GM)?
A: No. Hi-maize has been developed during a 20 year natural plant breeding program and does not contain genetically modified material.
Q: Is Hi-maize chemically modified?
A: No. Hi-maize naturally maintains its natural starch granule and is considered a natural, isolated food ingredient. It is not chemically modified.
Q: Is Hi-maize suitable for everyone?
A: Yes. Hi-maize has been extensively researched and there is evidence to show it offers health benefits for all healthy people, regardless of age or gender.
Q: Does the use of Hi-maize have any disadvantages?
A: Eating Hi-maize is like eating ordinary foods rich in resistant starch and hence it has no negative side effects.
Q: Are all resistant starches the same?
A: No, they’re not. Unlike most other ingredients, resistant starches are identified by a physiologically-based definition, not the chemical-based definition. Because of this, today’s resistant starches are typically categorized into four types:
RS1: Physically inaccessible (undigestible) resistant starch, such as that found in seeds, legumes and unprocessed whole grains. These starches resist digestion because they are protected by a barrier which slows down digestion.
RS2: Resistant starch that occurs in its natural granular form, such as under-ripe or slightly green bananas and high amylose corn (i.e. Hi-maize® resistant starch).
RS3: When starch-containing foods are cooked and cooled (for instance bread, cornflakes and cooked-and-chilled potatoes, parts of the starch chains can crystallize and become less digestible. The less digestible portion is Type 3 resistant starch.
RS4: Starch can also be chemically treated to make starch that cannot be digested within the digestive tract. Preliminary research has shown that they do not behave like natural resistant starch within the body. The potential benefits of this type of resistant starch are largely unknown.
Q: How much resistant starch should I eat a day?
A: Experts recommend that we double the amount of resistant starch that we currently eat. This can be done easily: Just one half cup of cooked navy beans added to your diet can double the average resistant starch intake. So can an medium-sized under-ripe banana. For home cooking, each tablespoon of Hi-maize you mix into smoothies, casseroles and pancakes also helps you meet this goal because a tablespoon of Hi-maize 260 resistant starch delivers about 5.5 grams of resistant starch..
Q: What happens if I eat too much resistant starch?
A: The entire daily-recommended intake of dietary fiber can be consumed from Hi-maize resistant starch without digestive side effects. Clinical studies have shown that high levels of Hi-maize resistant starch (up to 45 grams of fiber per day) can be consumed with modest or no digestive side effects.
Q: How many calories does resistant starch have?
A: Hi-maize resistant starch delivers fewer calories than flour It contains 1.4 kilocalories/gram. In contrast, flour delivers 4 kilocalories/gram. So, when you replace flour with Hi-maize resistant starch, the caloric content of your food goes down.
Q: How is Hi-maize resistant starch made?
A: It starts with corn naturally rich in amylose (long, linear glucose chains) which makes this crop unique. The corn starch is isolated from the corn kernel through a traditional wet milling process. It is then treated with a mild heat and moisture process that increases the dietary fiber content.
Q: How can I tell if a food contains Hi-maize resistant starch?
A: Look for foods with the Hi-maize logo on the package. Some foods contain Hi-maize but do not use the logo. If the ingredient list includes “resistant corn starch”, it most likely will be Hi-maize.
Q: How do I use Hi-maize resistant starch at home?
A: Hi-maize resistant starch effectively replaces 20-25% of the flour in breads, cakes, pasta, pancakes and other baked goods. It can also be added to smoothies, mashed potatoes, casseroles and oatmeal for an easy nutritional boost. A tablespoon of Hi-maize 260 resistant starch contains about 5.5 grams of dietary fiber, making it an easy way to get a nutritional boost.
Q: How is Hi-maize different than regular cornstarch in home cooking?
A: Hi-maize does not thicken at all. You could boil it in water and it would still not thicken. Don’t try to use HI-maize in soup, sauces, gravies or other foods in which the flour provides thickening – it won’t work very well.
Q: What advantages does Hi-maize resistant starch offer, over other types of dietary fiber?
A: Hi-maize resistant starch offers three main advantages over other fiber-fortification options like bran, cellulose and inulin.
1) Resistant starch is “invisible” in foods – it doesn’t affect taste and texture like other insoluble fiber sources often do. It is especially appropriate for grain-based low-moisture foods because it commonly replaces flour in food recipes.
2) Hi-maize resistant starch offers unique health benefits, particularly metabolically important benefits in glycemic and weight management. Other types of dietary fiber may not deliver this combination of benefits.
3) Due to the slow fermentation characteristic of resistant starch’s insoluble starch granule, Hi-maize can be consumed at significantly higher quantities without digestive side effects common to soluble fibers like inulin.
References:
1. Murphy M., Douglass J.S. and Birkett A. Resistant Starch Intakes in the United States. Journal of the American Dietetic Association (2008) 108:67-78.
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