Effect of pregelatinized starch on the characteristics, microstructures, and quality attributes of glutinous rice flour and dumplings

•PGS addition led to enhanced viscosity and gel network for glutinous rice flour.•PGS addition induced structural disorganization for glutinous dumplings.•PGS addition improves storage and textural properties of glutinous dumplings.•PGS addition increases the SDS and bound water content of glutinous dumplings.•Statistical correlation found between flour properties and qualities of dumplings. In this study, the impacts of pregelatinized starch (PGS) with different conditions (2–8%, w/w) on the characteristics, microstructures and quality parameters of glutinous rice flour and dumplings were determined. The results indicated PGS favored the formation of elastic gel-like network structure on starch granules. PGS addition, especially at high PGS content, significantly influenced the granular, crystalline and molecular structure of glutinous dumplings, probably due to the structural amorphization of PGS. Accordingly, the dumplings complexation with suitable PGS exhibited a better storage, an increased content of slowly digestible starch (SDS), and integrated quality attributes including transmittance, cracking rate, and textural properties via weakening the water mobility. Pearson's correlation matrix exhibited that the quality of glutinous dumplings could be well predicted by physicochemical properties of rice flour. Thus, it is feasible to improve the textural and nutritional attribute of glutinous rice dumplings via simply complexation with PGS.