Modified Food Starches

Why Modified Food Starches Are Needed ?

A pudding mix that could be found in any grocery store has “food starch modified” as a major item in the ingredient list. It will be found on many product labels besides pudding, but, why is it in there?

Reasons for Modifying Starches

In general, modified food starches are used for three reasons.

1. they provide functional attributes in food applications that native starches normally cannot provide. In the pudding mix, the starch provides thickening power, a creamy short texture, and convenience if it is an instant system. In other applications, modified starch can provide a wide range of functions, from binding to disintegrating; imbibing or inhibiting moisture; producing a short, stringy, or cuttable texture; creating a smooth or pulpy texture; developing a soft or crisp coating; or stabilizing an emulsion.
2. starch is abundant and readily available.
3. starch can provide an economic advantage in many applications where higher priced items such as gums otherwise must be used.

Where Modified Food Starches Are Used

The modifications listed in the preceding section make starch an important functional ingredient for numerous food systems. Starch can be used in numerous possible functional application areas, including adhesion, antistaling, binding, clouding, dusting, emulsion stabilization, encapsulation, flowing aid, foam strengthening, gelling, glazing, moisture retention, molding, shaping, stabilizing and thickening.

For example, starch can be used on fried fish where it binds the breading to the fish piece, in processed meats where starch binds the juices, in orange soda where it provides emulsion stability, in candy where starch provides structure, and in numerous other applications where starch is used as a thickener.