Starch

A nutritional compound widely present in the plant kingdom, starch, a carbohydrate reserve, is an important source of energy for animals and humans alike. However, its use is not limited to food.

While it's difficult to pinpoint the dates when starch was first used for food and non-food purposes, a number of very ancient documents refer to it. In 4000 BC, it was used to glue Egyptian papyrus. Then, in 170 B.C., Cato described a process used by the Romans to separate starch from grain and, around 312 A.D., it was demonstrated that starch offered resistance to ink penetration in Chinese paper. By the 16th century, starch was widely used in Western Europe, mainly in the textile industry as a fiber stiffener.

But it was in 1811 that Kirchoff discovered that sweet compounds could be produced from potato starch by hydrolysis with an acid, giving rise to the first modified starches and sweeteners derived from starch . All these scientific and technological advances gave rise to the starch industry. In Europe, until the 18th century, starch was mainly made from wheat. Then potatoes became an increasingly important raw material. Since the 1970s, however, most starch has been made from corn and wheat. Nevertheless, Europe remains the world's leading producer of potato starch.

In the food industry, starch is mainly used as a thickener/gelling agent and stabilizer in a wide range of foods and beverages, including bakery and confectionery products, soups, sauces, frozen desserts, dairy creams, ready-made meals and ready-to-drink beverages. Its use is also growing significantly in paper food packaging. These often have a protective coating to prevent water or oxygen from penetrating the packaging. Usually, this coating is made from petroleum derivatives (plastics). However, manufacturers are increasingly adopting biobased materials, and starch-based packaging is becoming more popular.

This process data sheet presents the main stages in the manufacture of native and modified starches, with their manufacturing specificities. It also contains a brief description of the diversity of products on the market and a presentation of the economic environment, where players are relatively concentrated in Europe, but more fragmented in the rest of the world.