Colonic fermentation of potato starch after a freeze-thaw cycle

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Abstract
To estimate colonic carbohydrate fermentation following a potato meal, 13 healthy volunteers consumed 375 g potatoes containing 60 g starch on three different occasions in random order: (A) potatoes boiled and consumed fresh at 60° C; (B) potatoes boiled, frozen, thawed and consumed at 20° C; and (C) potatoes boiled, frozen, thawed, reheated to 90° C, and consumed at 60° C. End-expiratory breath hydrogen (H2) was measured every 15 min for 10–14 hr with a selective electrochemical cell. The extent of colonic carbohydrate fermentation (AUC=area under the breath H2 concentration vs time curve) in experiment B was significantly higher (+186%,PPP<0.003). It is suggested that structural alterations of the starch molecule occur during freezing, thawing, and reheating and alter the availability of carbohydrates for fermentation by colonic anaerobes.