Unlocking the Potential of Pregelatinized Starch

Introduction:

Pregelatinized starch is a starch that has been chemically and/or mechanically processed to break all or part of the granules in the presence of water and heat, and subsequently dried. This process is known as the hydrothermal modification of native starch.

The source of starch are corn, cassava, potato, wheat starch or a mixture of different starches. Compared to native starch, pregelatinized starch has improved functionality, including flowability, compressibility, and cold water solubility. It is available as a white, odorless, and tasteless, moderately fine powder.

The Science Behind Pregelatinization:

Starch gelatinization is the process of breaking down the intermolecular bonds of starch molecules in the presence of water and heat, which exposes the hydrogen bonding sites (hydroxyl hydrogens and oxygens) to more water. This process irreversibly dissolves the starch granules in water. Water acts as a plasticizer. The pregelatinization process provides the ability to form cold gels from native or modified starches. As a result, these starches provide products with viscosity without the need for cooking or high temperatures, meaning that users do not need to pre-extract the starch.

PRESTAR® pregelatinized starch application in Building chemical materials:

• Gypsum based materials: Improve the crack resistance, stability and the constrcution performance of gypsum.
• Putty and grout: Improve the crack resistance and workability, making the wall smoother.
• Tile adhesive: Increase the adhesive strength and prolong the open time
• Rendersand coatings: improve their rheological properties, enhance coating uniformity and adhesion.
• Mortar modification:improve the viscosity and water retention of mortar, thereby improving the construction performance and bonding strength of mortar.
• Concrete additives: Improve the fluidity and plasticity of concrete, reduce the occurrence of cracks, and improve the durability of concrete.

Key Properties and Benefits:

PRESTAR® pregelatinized starch is a physically modified starch.

• Low viscosity, good feel: low viscosity pregelatinized starches provide a better feel, especially in applications where direct contact with materials is required
• High strength: PRESTAR®pregelatinized starch has good mechanical properties, which provides excellent stability and durability in various applications.
• High fineness (100 mesh sieving rate ≥98%), good solubility: PRESTAR®pregelatinized starch has very fine particles, it can rapidly dispersion in cold water

PRESTAR® product types & characteristics: