Precise design of clean-label starch: Mechanisms underlying the regulation of multiscale structure induced by non-thermal physical modification.

Amid the global shift toward clean-label and sustainable food production, this review highlights green, non-thermal physical modification (NTPM) technologies such as high hydrostatic pressure (HHP), ultrasonic (US), cold plasma (CP), magnetic field (MF), pulsed electric field (PEF), γ-irradiation (IR), and along with other emerging techniques, as promising alternatives to conventional chemical and thermal starch modification methods. These approaches enable precise, multiscale structural regulation of starch from molecular chains to crystalline and morphological levels. The review elucidates how physical field energy modulates, by perturbing hydrogen bond networks, depolymerizing chains, and reconstructing crystalline order, key functional properties such as gelatinization, rheology, gel network formation, and digestion kinetics. It further establishes quantitative structure-property relationships within the physical field-structure-function paradigm, and discusses the potential of modified starches to support gut microbiota health and low glycemic index (GI) food development through controlled digestibility. Key knowledge gaps remain in mechanistic elucidation, scale-up, and the synergistic effects of combined technologies, which await direct experimental validation. Future directions include integrating hurdle strategies, advanced in-situ characterization, and machine learning-based predictive modeling. This review provides a scientific roadmap toward healthier and more sustainable food systems through the advancement of clean-label starches.