Education

Current Positions

• Assistant Professor, School of Life Sciences, CUHK

Research Interests

• Starch structure-function relationships
• Carbohydrates and health
• Cereal chemistry and processing

Representative Publications

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com.tw/citations?view_op=list_works&hl=zh-TW&user=Y-adXrYAAAAJ
ORCID: 0000-0002-8327-6162
(h-index 41, citations 5485, * corresponding author, # co-first author)

1. Xueer Yi, Shuaibo Shao, Xiaowei Zhang, Wenwen Yu, Bin Zhang, Hongsheng Liu, Robert G. Gilbert, Cheng Li*, 2023, Effects of storage temperatures on the starch digestibility of whole rice with distinct starch fine molecular structure, Food & Function, 14(13), 6262-6273
2. Xueer Yi, Wenwen Yu, Hongsheng Liu and Cheng Li*, 2024, Importance of both leached and residual starch molecular structures in determining cooked rice texture at different rice-to-water cooking ratios, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 258, 129040
3. Xiaowei Zhang, Xueer Yi, Wenwen Yu, Tinting Chen, Boyan gao, Robert G. Gilbert and Cheng Li*, 2024, Subtle structural variations of resistant starch from whole cooked rice significantly impact metabolic outputs of gut microbiota, Carbohydrate Polymers, 329, 121779
4. Songnan Li, Zihan Wang, Duo Feng, Yujun Pan, Enpeng Li, Jun Wang and Cheng Li*, 2024, The importance role of starch fine molecular structures in starch gelatinization property with addition of sugars/ sugar alcohols, Carbohydrate Polymers, 330, 121785
5. Kaixin Qi, Senbin Cao and Cheng Li*, 2024, Possible interaction between pectin and gluten alters the starch digestibility and texture of wheat bread, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 269, 131907
6. Jingru Zhuang, Jian Zhu, Peter C.K. Cheung, and Cheng Li*, 2024, The physical and chemical interactions between starch and dietary fiber: Their impact on the physicochemical and nutritional properties of starch, Trends in Food Science & Technology, 149, 104566
7. Jiakang Lin, Enpeng Li and Cheng Li*, 2024, Multi-scale structural insights on starch digestibility of instant rice, Food Chemistry, 456, 140074
8. Zihan Wang, Ye Sun, Yujun Pan, Enpeng Li, Jun Wang, Songnan Li, and Cheng Li*, 2024, Impact of sugar and sugar alcohol on the pasting and retrogradation properties of starch with distinct molecular structures, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 278, 134627
9. Jiakang Lin, Songnan Li, and Cheng Li*, 2025, Targeting gut microbiota by starch molecular size and chain-length distribution to produce various short-chain fatty acids, Carbohydrate Polymers, 347, 122707
10. Jiakang Lin, Enpeng Li, and Cheng Li*, 2024, Increasing degree of substitution inhibits acetate while promotes butyrate production during in vitro fermentation of citric acid-modified rice starch, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 281, 136385
11. Xinyi Chen, Xiaowei Zhang, Enpeng Li, and Cheng Li*, 2025, Mechanistic investigation of impact of malic acid, ultrasound, and dual treatment on starch digestibility of cooked whole rice grains, Carbohydrate Polymers, 352, 123230
12. Jingru Zhuang and Cheng Li*, 2025, Addition of rice protein inhibits rice starch digestibility by enlarging the hydrogel pore size and promoting the formation of resistant starch with a DP around 150, Food Hydrocolloids, 164, 111211
13. Shuting Duan, Xiaowei Zhang, and Cheng Li*, 2025, Importance of starch chain-length distribution in determining starch digestibility through affecting short- and long-range intermolecular interactions during retrogradation, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 306, 141728
14. Jian Zhu, Jingru Zhuang, Hongsheng Liu, Zhenyu Chen, and Cheng Li*, 2025, Recent understanding of resistant starch type 5 (RS5) and its role in modulating gut microbiota, Food Chemistry, 487, 144685
15. Shuting Duan and Cheng Li*, 2025, Tannic acid regulates wheat starch digestibility via competitive inhibition of starch retrogradation and enzymatic activities of pancreatin and amyloglucosidase, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 318, 145045
16. Xinyi Chen and Cheng Li*, 2025, Partially gelatinized corn and potato starch show faster digestibility after retrogradation, Food Chemistry, 492, 145546
17. Shuting Duan, Yiming Hu, Xiaowei Zhang, Enpeng Li, and Cheng Li*, 2025, Synergistic impact of starch-tannic acid complex in regulating gut microbiota to produce propionate, Carbohydrate Polymers, 368, 124077
18. Xinyi Chen and Cheng Li*, 2025, Optimization of malic acid and ultrasound dual modification conditions to reduce starch digestibility of cooked whole rice grains, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 328, 147393
19. Jian Zhu, Shaoming Zhu, Wing Tak Wong, Hongsheng Liu, and Cheng Li*, 2025, Starch–EGCG complexes improve starch fermentability, acetate production, and alter relations between gut microbiota and starch chain-length distributions, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 73(37), 23656-23670
20. Zhengming Zhou, Qile Zhang, Lei Li, Dongmei Liu, Xinyi Deng, Yue Ma, Wang Hin Ng, Jian Zhu, Wing Tak Wong, Cheng Li*, 2025, Amylose content modulates lycopene isomerization and anti-oxidative activity of starch-lycopene complexes during small intestinal digestion, Food Chemistry, 495(2) 146501

Research Grants

Major external funding support

1. General Research Fund sponsored by the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (Project No. 14110025), Why does starch-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) complex, a type 5 resistant starch, outperform EGCG alone in alleviating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease?, HK$1,375,476, 2025.10-2028.9, Principal investigator
2. NSFC/RGC Joint Research Scheme sponsored by the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project No. N_CUHK464/24), Modulation of Endosperm Starch Composition to Improve Rice Quality Using SSIIa, SSIIIa and MS Superior Alleles, RMB¥1,000,000+HK$1,223,482, 2025.01.01-2028.12.31, Principal investigator
3. Youth Fund of Natural Science Foundation of China (32001646), Investigation of the effects of amylose on the digestibility of rice starch based on the evolution of its supramolecular structures during gelatinization and retrogradation, RMB¥ 300K, 2021.01-2023.12, Principle investigator
4. Youth Fund of Jiangsu Natural Science Foundation (BK20190906), The mechanism of amylose fine molecular structure affecting the digestibility of rice starch at the retrograded state, RMB¥ 200K, 2019.7-2022.6, Principle investigator, Completed.

Major internal funding support

1. IdeaBooster Fund 2025/26 (Applicant ID: 6652; Project code: 3230473; CUHK Ref.: IDBF25SCI22), AI-based Predictive Model for Estimating the Glycemic Index of Carbohydrate-based Foods, 2025.6.30-2026.12.31, HK$ 100000, Principal investigator
2. CUHK direct grant for research 2024/2025 (ref no. 4053690), Development of Low Glycemic Index Rice ‘Grains’: Possible Applications in Diabetic Management, 2025.4.1-2026.3.31, HK$ 41568, Principal investigator
3. CUHK direct grant for research 2023/2024 (ref no. 4053622), Enhancement of Slowly Digestible Starch Content in Instant Rice for Possible Diabetes Management: The Role of Rice Varieties and Retrogradation Conditions, HK$ 150000, 2024.4.1-2026.3.31, Principal investigator

Patents

1. Yu, W., Zou, W., Li, C. (2022) A novel method for quickly measuring the glycemic index of carbohydrate, Invention patent, (ZL202110458696.2).
2. Li, S., Cao, P., Wang, J., Li, E., Li, C. (2022) A novel method to prepare starch nano-fiber based on the electrospinning, Invention patent, (ZL202111253929.1)

Awards

• World’s Top 2% Most-cited Scientists by Stanford University, 2021
• Jiangsu Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program, 2019
• Top Young Scientist Presentation Prize of the International Symposium on Advances in Cereal Science for Asia, 2015
• 64^th Australian Cereal Chemistry Conference travel award, 2014
• American Association of Cereal Chemists International (AACCI) annual meeting student travel award, 2013

Professional Activities

• Associate editor, Frontiers in Nutrition
• Guest editor for Foods, MDPI
• Guest editor for Gels, MDP
• Guest editor for Frontiers in Nutrition