Starch is widely distributed in nature and is a common component in plants, as well as the main form of carbohydrate storage.
We usually divide starch into four categories:
Cereal: Corn, wheat, rice,etc.
Tubers: Sweet potatoes, cassava, potatoes,etc.
Legume: Faba beans, mung beans, peas,etc.
Others: Plant fruits, pulp, as well as some bacteria and algae.
There are many types of agricultural products containing starch, but not all are suitable for large-scale industrial production. As a raw material for large-scale production of starch, the following conditions must be met:
First is high starch content, large yield, and high utilization rate of by-products;
Secondly, the raw materials are easy to process, store, and sell;
Thirdly, the price is relatively cheap;
The fourth is not to compete with others for food.
Therefore, currently corn is generally more suitable, followed by tubers. Although rice and wheat have large yields, they are expensive and the main staple foods for humans. Beans have high starch content, low yield, and high price
Starch from different raw materials has different molecular weights. The proportions of amylose and amylopectin is different. The physical and chemical properties is also different. So we choose different starch for different modified starch.
Prestar®1027 is produced with corn
Prestar®1105 is produced with cassava
Stargel®ST series are produced with potato.
On the basis of the inherent properties of starch, in order to improve its performance and expand its application range, physical, chemical or enzymatic treatments are used to change the natural properties of starch, increase its functionality or introduce new characteristics, making it more suitable for certain application requirements. This type of product that undergoes secondary processing and changes its properties is collectively referred to as modified starch.
Natural starch cannot meet or cannot simultaneously meet the requirements of some industrial applications, that is why we need to modify starch. And modified starch can open up new uses and expand its application scope.
Modification for starch usually contains chemical modification, physical modification, biological modification and composite modification. Each modification has different methods and there are more than 2000 varieties and specifications of modified starch nowadays.
Prestar® series product belongs to pregelatinized Starch, that has undergone physical modification;
Stargel®ST series product belongs to starch ether, that has undergone chemical modification.
