Abstract:Objective: Taking the rice protein hydrolysates/wheat starch complexes as the object to study the effects of high pressure processing (HPP) on its physicochemical properties and digestibility in vitro, and to explore its change mechanism. Methods: The effects of HPP on the physical and chemical properties of the complexes, such as crystallinity, gelatinization properties, water distribution and rheological properties were analyzed. The effect of HPP on the in vitro digestion characteristics of complexes was analyzed. Results: The order of molecules in the system was increased and the co-crystallization was more extensive under 350 MPa pressure. After HPP, the relaxation time of the complexes was shortened, the water fluidity was weakened, the gelatinization time was delayed, the peak viscosity was significantly reduced, and the viscoelasticity was improved. The digestibility of the complexes was reduced under 350 MPa pressure conditions because HPP promoted the infiltration of RPH into the starch and its distribution was more uniform. Conclusion: HPP can enhance the interaction between starch and protein in the complexes system, and has the potential to further reduce its in vitro digestibility.