Resistant Starch (RS) in breads: What it is and what it does

The term resistant starch (RS) refers to the portion of starch that defies catabolic actions from human digestive enzymes. Being first reported by Englyst, Wiggins, and Cummings,1 research around RS functionality and fortification in foods has been the focus of a considerable amount of research in the past decade. The primary driving factor for this has been the wide variety of health benefits resulting from RS consumption. Bread is a staple food globally, and as such, it has the potential to act as an appropriate vehicle to supply significant amounts of RS in the human diet. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss how carbohydrates are digested, the various forms of RS, the primary health benefits, how RS is measured in foods, and the significance of and incorporation of RS into bread formulations.