What is resistant starch?
Well, the simple answer is...
...starch that is inaccessible for digestion in the small intestine due to chemical or structural changes is considered a type of fiber called resistant starch (RS).
RS is an insoluble, non-viscous, and fermentable fiber (S) that is categorized into the five subtypes described below
5 types of resistant starch
|
Type of Resistant Starch |
Description |
Food Sources or Examples |
|
RS1 |
Physically protected -- barrier blocking access to the starch by digestive enzymes. Example: seed coatings in whole grains. RS1 is heat stable and highly resistant to digestion. |
Whole or partly milled grains and seeds, legumes, pasta |
|
RS2 |
Ungelatinized resistant starch granules commonly found in uncooked potatoes or green bananas. RS2 resists digestion due to the crystalline starch structure which restricts accessibility to digestive enzymes. |
Raw potatoes, green bananas, some legumes, high amylose starches |
|
RS3 |
Retrograded Starch; cooked and cooled starch that reforms new crystalline starch structures resistant to digestion |
Cooked and cooled potatoes, bread, cornflakes |
|
RS4 |
Chemically modified resistant starch often produced through chemical cross-linking, esterification, and etherization. |
Man-made starch with beneficial properties for food processing |
|
RS5 |
Starch complexes bound to other fractions such as fats (lipids), peptides, polysaccharides, amino acids, or polyphenols |
Starches cooked with a fat source (e.g., bread containing added fats, etc.) |
List of resistant starch foods
Resistant Starch Food Content Table (Average Content per 100g Food)
Bananas
- Banana (green) 7.8g
- Banana (unripe) 2.8 g +/- 0.1g
- Banana (ripe) 1.8 g +/- 0.1g
- Banana (cooked) 0.0 g
- Banana (cooked and cooled) 2.0 g
- Banana (cooked, cooled, reheated) 1.4 g
Bread
(0.5-6.4 g per 100g)
- Rye Bread: 3.0 +/-0.2 g
- Sourdough bread (wheat): 3.3+/- 3.1g
- Mixed grain bread: 2.6 +/- 4.9 g
- Whole wheat bread: 1.7 +/- 1.2g
- White bread: 1.0 +/- 0.9 g
- French baguette: 1.0+/- 0.6 g
- Gluten free bread: 0.9+/-0.3 g
- Pita bread (wheat): 0.5 g
Tortillas
- Tortilla corn, store-bought: 0.8 g
- Tortilla corn, freshly baked: 2.6 +/- 0.6
- Tortilla corn, stored at 4 degrees celsius for 1-14 days: 3.3-4.7g
- Tortilla, flour, store-bought 0.2 +/- 0.2 g
Cereals and Grains
- Rolled oats, uncooked: 6.5-7.7 g
- Cooked oats: 1.0 +/- 1.2g
- Cooked Rice: 1.0 +/- 0.6g
- Wheat, cooked: 0.4 g
- Corn, flaked: 4.0 +/- 1.8g
- Rice, flaked or crisped: 1.4 +/-0.8g
- Barley cooked: 3.4 +/- 0.8g
- Corn grits cooked: 1.3 g
Potatoes
(Boiled, baked, or microwaved)
- Potato, red variety: 1.7g
- Potato, russet: 3.1 +/-0.5g
- Potato, yellow: 1.4 +/-1.3g
- Sweet potato: 0.5 +/-0.5g
Potatoes cooked then chilled
- Potato, red variety: 2.0 +/- 1.7g
- Potato russet: 4.3 +/- 0.5g
- Potato, yellow: 2.5+/-3.8g
- Sweet potato: 0.4g
Potatoes, cooked, chilled, then reheated
- Potato, red variety: 3.2 +/-0.7g
- Potato russet: 3.9+/-0.3g
- Potato, yellow: 5.1 +/-2.3g
- Sweet potato: 0.3g
Fried potatoes
- Potatoes, fried: 3.8+/-1.9g
- Potato chips: 3.1+/-0.7g
Pasta
- Cooked pasta: 1.5+/-0.8g
- Pasta (durum wheat) cooked then chilled for 3 to 5 days: 3.4g
- Whole wheat pasta: 0.2g
Beans
(cooked)
- Butter or lima beans: 6.4 +/-1.8g
- Black beans 2.7 +/-1.7g
- Black beans cooked and stored for 24-96 hours 4.7 +/-2.0g
- Chickpeas 2.1 +/-1.0g
- Fava bean: 0.7g
- Great Northern bean 1.2 +/- 0.4g
- Kidney bean: 3.8 +/-1.4g
- White kidney bean: 3.6 +/3.2g
- Lentils: 2.0 +/-16.9g
- Mung beans: 1.2 +/- 0.3g
- Navy beans: 1.6 +/- 0.2g
- Pinto beans: 2.0 +/-0.3g
- Pinto beans cooked and stored for 24-96 hours: 2.7 +/- 1.6 g