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Starch is a plant substance belonging to the group of carbohydrates. Naturally occurring starch is a nutrient that provides complex carbohydrates in the diet. After appropriate treatment, it is widely used in industry. Check what properties starch has and in which products it is found.
Starchis a substance that occurs naturally in plant foods. After appropriate treatment, it is in the form of a white powder. Starch has numerous properties, which is why it has been widely used in the food industry.
Starch - properties
Starch occurs in plant cells as a reserve substance. It is synthesized in nature in the form of grains of various sizes. The size of starch grains varies depending on the plant species and the climatic conditions of its occurrence.
The smallest starch grains are produced by oats and the largest by potatoes. Also, the supermolecular structure of starch is very different depending on the plant from which it was obtained. As a result, starches of various origins have different properties and application possibilities.
Starch does not dissolve in cold water. Forms a gruel with hot water. Gumming is one of the commonly used properties of starch. Under the influence of hot water, starch grains swell because the intra- and extra-molecular hydrogen bonds between the starch components break.
New hydrogen bonds are formed between the water and the starch, which means that the molecules are hydrated. Pasting affects the crystalline structure of starch.
Starch for industrial applications undergoes various types of chemical and physical modifications, which leads to obtaining raw materials useful in various industries.
In this way, numerous varieties of modified starches are obtained. Modifications of starch are carried out because in its raw state it is not thermally and rheologically unstable (deforms under the influence of forces), not resistant to very acidic or very alkaline environment and mechanical shear forces.
Starch - sources
Starch is present in plant foods, mainly corn, grains (wheat, rye, oats, rice, etc.), potatoes and tapioca. They find small amounts of itin other vegetables and nuts.
Nutritionally, naturally occurring starch is a nutrient that provides complex carbohydrates in the diet.
In the nutritional value table of the product, its amount expressed in grams can be found in the "carbohydrates" column. It is assumed that 1 g of starch provides 4 kcal. It is digested into oligosaccharides, dextrins, and eventually single glucose units.
Starch - types
1. Resistant starch
A property of starch valued in dietetics is retrogradation, i.e. the release of amylose from the gruel, which loses the ability to dissolve in water. Starch, which precipitates into an insoluble form after cooling down, is called resistant starch. It has a positive effect on the human body, well documented by scientific research.
Resistant starch precipitates in cooked and cooled down pasta, rice or potatoes. Its pro-he alth effect is based on the fermentation of resistant starch in the large intestine by "good" bacteria living in this environment.
The main products of fermentation are short-chain fatty acids - acetic, propionic, butyric, valeric, isovaleric and isobutyric.
Butyric acid is considered extremely valuable in nourishing intestinal epithelial cells, and the fermentation of resistant starch produces the most of it compared to other polysaccharides. The positive effects of short-chain fatty acids on the body are well researched and include:
- increased absorption of magnesium, calcium, zinc, iron and copper
- lowering the level of triglycerides and total cholesterol in the blood
- keeping the colon epithelium in good condition
- providing energy for colonocytes (colon epithelial cells)
- reduced postprandial glucose and insulin secretion compared to food without resistant starch
2. Modified starch
Modified starches have found a wide range of applications. They are used in the production of drugs for blood clotting, as well as sorbents, carriers of powders and powders, ingredients for photosensitive layers, encapsulating materials for drugs, additives for drilling fluids, binders, fillers for plastics, thickeners, components of adhesives, pastes, etc.
In industrial production on a global scale, the following is the most important:
- corn starch
- wheat starch
- potato starch
Other technically relevant starches are rice, tapioca and waxy maize starch. Their production does not exceed altogether 5% of the total starch produced. The Polish starch industry is based on potato starch, while most foreign companies produce waxy and tapioca corn starch for the food industry.
Natural starches obtained directly from plants, and above all modified starches, are very often used in food production processes.
Modified starches dominated this sector since the 1940s, replacing natural starch. The food industry uses primarily potato, waxy corn starch and, to a lesser extent, tapioca starch as a thickening, gelling and texturing agent.
The most common modified starches are:
- oxidized starches
- mono-starch esters
- cross-linked starches
- agglomerated starches
- instant starches
Starch - application
Modified starch in various forms is approved as a food additive and recognized as completely safe for he alth. It is added to a wide variety of processed foods.
Modified starch is found in such products as puddings, pudding creams, whipped cream, powdered cake mixes, coatings, sprinkles, coatings, traditional and instant noodles, cold cuts, sausages, sausages, canned meat, pates, soups and powdered sauces, the so-called hot cups - soups, kissels, puddings, instant porridges.
Starch itself is not harmful to your he alth. However, you should consider the quality of the food you buy. A cold cuts product that requires the addition of starch to keep it from disintegrating is not the best choice for he alth.
Use of different types of modified starches in the food industry
| Starch preparation | E number | |
| Oxidized starch | E 1404 | Production of jellies and desserts |
| Di-starch phosphate | E 1412 | Production of finely ground cured meats, pates, canned meat |
| Acetylated binary phosphate | E 1414 | Production of vegetable sauces and fruit dessert fillings |
| Acetylated binary adipate | E 1422 | Production of ketchup, mayonnaise (also with reduced fat content) |
| Acetylated starch | E 1420 | Pasta production |
| Acetylated oxidized starch | E 1451 | Production of jellies |
| Agglomerated starches | - | Instant food production |
| Pre-gelatinized starches | - | Instant food production |
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Starch is a polysaccharide made of individual D-glucose molecules linked by an alpha-glycosidic bond. Starch is made of two fractions of glucose polymers - unbranched amylose and branched amylopectin.
Amylose particles are smaller and contain from 300 to 600 glucose units, while amylopectin contains about 2500 of them. Amylose usually constitutes 10 to 35% by weight of starch, but there are other types of starch that contain up to 98% of amylopectin . The ratio of amylose to amylopectin in a polysaccharide is responsible for many of its properties and technological usefulness of starch.
In addition to amylose and amylopectin, commercially available starch contains small amounts of lipids, mineral s alts, water and phosphoric acid.
About the author
Aleksandra Żyłowska-Mharrab, dietician Food technologist, dietitian, educator. A graduate of Biotechnology at the Gdańsk University of Technology and Nutritional Services at the Maritime University. A supporter of simple, he althy cuisine and conscious choices in everyday nutrition. My main interests include building permanent changes in eating habits and individually composing a diet according to the body's needs. Because the same thing is not he althy for everyone! I believe that nutritional education is very important, both for children and adults. I focus my activities on spreading knowledge about nutrition, analyze new research results, and make my own conclusions. I adhere to the principle that a diet is a lifestyle, not strict adherence to meals on a sheet of paper. There is always room for delicious pleasures in he althy and conscious eating.
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