STARCH AND RELATED

PRODUCTS
Ref: Dryden and shreves
 Starch - an odourless, tasteless white
substance occurring widely in plant tissue
and obtained chiefly from cereals and
potatoes. It is a polysaccharide which
functions as a carbohydrate store and is an
important constituent of the human diet.
 STARCH
▪ Is a high polymer carbohydrate having formula (C6H10O5 )n (n – 200 to more than 500)
▪ Used in industries such a textiles, paper, paints ,soaps etc
▪ Major raw materials include maize(60-70% starch), potato(12%), wheat(8%), tapioca(9%),
rice(1%)
▪ Starch occurs in grains and roots in the form of granules.
▪ May be linear(amylose) or branched(amylopectin)
▪ These are extracted by water hydration of cells.
▪ Gets hydrolysed easily by acids, alkalis and enzymes giving soluble starch, dextrin,
dextrose(d-glucose)
SEM images of A) potato starch (B) corn starch (C)
wheat starch and (D) rice starch
Structure of starch
Amylose can be separated from amylopectin by extracting
the gelatinized starch granules with hot water, extract
consists amylose and residue contains amylopectin.
amylose absorbs large amounts of iodine and gives deep
blue colour.

Amylopectin gives reddish colour with lesser amount of

iodine.

As starches from waxy cereals consists of amylopectin, give

red colour with iodine instead of blue colour
Gelatinization Temperature of starch:All starches swell
when heated in water , swelling takes place gradually at first
and as heating continued , the granuels swell rapidly at a
particular temperature. This tempo. Is characteristic of the
starch and is called Gelatinization Temperature
▪ Flow sheet : Refer Dryden
▪ Maize kernels are cleaned by means of screens, compressed air and
electromagnets.
▪ Cleaned kernels are then steeped (soaked)in hot water at 50-55oC for 2 days.
▪ Hot water contains 0.15-0.3% SO2 , acts as a bacteriostatic(agent that stops bacteria
from reproducing but does not kill them) and prevents fermentation.
▪ Large, hopper bottomed, wood steeping vats(large tanks) are used for steeping
purpose.
▪ Steeping softens the kernels and loosens the hull.
▪ Degerminator separates the germ(seed) from the hull
▪ The softened germs are passed through coarse grinding mills to rupture the cells
and loosen the oil germ.
▪ In the germ –separator, the germ(which contains the
oil) is liquid separated from rest of the kernel. This is
carried off in overflow.
▪ Remainder of the corn kernels contain starch, gluten
and cellulose.
▪ This is then wet ground in buhr stone mill and starch
is released as granules.
▪ Ground kernels are passed over a nylon cloth. Water
washes the starch through the nylon cloth while the
hulls and fibres are left behind.
▪ The underflow from the screen contains gluten which
is water insoluble protein.
▪ Gluten is separated in a two-stage centrifuge as a
light fraction.
▪ Starch- water mixture is then passed to a continuous
rotary filter.
▪ Starch is separated as filter cake.
▪ It is then dried using steam, powdered and used as
pearl starch (10-14%moisture)
DIFFERENT TYPES OF STARCH
▪ Powdered starch containing slightly high percentage of moisture – lump or gloss
starch
▪ Precooked starch – gelatinized starch
▪ if alkali conversion is used – thick boiling starch
▪ If acid conversion is used – thin boiling starch
▪ If starch is oxidised(treating with hypochlorite) – dialdehyde starch
▪ Specialized food starches made by treating with POCl3,epichlorohydrin or sodium
metaphosphate – cross linked starches
▪ Roasted starch- dextrin.
STARCH DERIVATIVE-DEXTRIN
▪ Also known as roasted starch.
▪ Dextrin is readily dissolving in water and gives adhesives, pastes and gums.
𝑛
▪ (C6H10O5)n heat (C6H10O5)x
𝑥
HCl
▪ Starch is charged into an air suspended fluidizer.
▪ Heat is added by using steam via rectangular shaped plate coils.
▪ 65-170oC temperature is reached. Temp influences the kind of dextrin prepared.
▪ HCl vapours are introduced into the recirculating air stream.
▪ Depolymerization is continued for 1-8hrs
▪ Reaction can be stopped by adding ammonia or cooling rapidly.
Three types – British Gum, White dextrin and Yellow Dextrin

British Gum- Dark brown product obtained when starch is heated to 200
0C

Its soluble in water , does not give blue colour with iodine indicates the
absence of amylose.

White dextrin- Roasting at 100 0C in the presence of acid. Before

roasting the acidified starch is allowed to cure for some time and then
moisture is removed by gradual heating. After heating cooled in a cooler
and allowed to absorb moisture by passing a current of humid air.

Yellow dextrin – similar processs asin the case of white dextrin but the
amount of acid is less and roasting temp is 180 0C
 DIALDEHYDE STARCH
▪ Oxidised form of starch
▪ Used in paper industry, adhesives.
▪ Starch+HIO4 dialdehyde starch + HIO3+H2O
(periodic acid) (iodic acid)
▪ HIO3 + 2OH - HIO4 +H2O (acid regeneration)
▪ Starch is treated with periodic acid in a batch reactor.
▪ Oxidised starch is removed by centrifuging.
▪ Acid is regenerated in an electrolytic cell.
STARCH PHOSPHATE
▪ Water soluble starch ester.
▪ Excellent freeze-thaw stability.
▪ Uses: as thickener in canned and frozen food, adhesives, emulsion paint
formulations.
▪ Starch + Na2HPO4 starch phosphate + H2O
▪ Starch slurry is reacted with alkaline phosphate at various conditions(different pH,
temp, time)
▪ Filtered and spray dried
▪ More than 70% of corn starch produced is used in corn sweetener manufacture.
▪ Especially as HFCS