2001 AACC Annual Meeting Charlotte, North Carolina October 14-18, 2001 Charlotte Convention Center

Although some resistant starch can be found in most starch containing foods there is a recognised need to increase the quantity of dietary resistant starch in order to improve public health. To help meet this goal it will be necessary to either increase our overall consumption of starchy foods or provide foods containing increased levels of resistant starch. Resistant starch ingredients derived from high amylose maize have been commercially available in Australia since 1993. These ingredients have been successfully used in the commercial preparation of a wide variety of foods, including bread, buns, crumpets, muffins, breakfast cereals, snacks, confectionery, biscuits, pasta, drinks and yoghurt. It has also been possible to utilise specific physiological effects of these resistant starch ingredients to prepare registered pharmaceuticals. The availability of resistant starch ingredients, supported by clinical assessment and innovative food engineering, has combined to provide consumers with foods with greater nutritional quality while meeting their stringent demands for organoleptic acceptability. Nutritional research is continuing to identify new uses for resistant starch ingredients, alone or in combination with other dietary components, to address public health concerns.