Starch (Amylum) ● Potato Starch

○ a complex carbohydrate consisting of a large – largest

number of glucose units joined together by
glycosidic bonds. ● Rice Starch
– smallest and angular
○ produced by all green plants as a storage of
energy ● White Cassava Starch
– spherical
○ most consumed carbohydrates of humans
Types of Starch
○ odorless, tasteless white substance occurring Amylopectin
widely in plant tissue and obtained chiefly from ○ water insoluble polysaccharide
cereals and potatoes ○ highly branched polymer of a glucose units
found in plants
○ a polysaccharide which functions as a ○ one of the components of starch
carbohydrate store and is an important ○ glucose units are linked in a linear way with a
constituent of human diet glycosidic bonds

○ an end product of photosynthesis Amylose

○ crystallizable form of starch
→ Polysaccharide – made entirely of glucose ○ consists of long unbranched polysaccharide
(seeds, roots, cereals, legumes) chains
Role Food Sources and Classification of Starches
Viscosity
○ food: pudding, sauces, pie filling and gravies ○ starchy foods are main source of carbohydrates
and play an important role in a healthy diet
Adhesive
○ non – food role in paper industry ○ starchy foods such as:
● Potatoes
Starch (Amylum) ● Bread
○ exists in nature as the main component of ● Rice
cereals and tubers ● Pasta
○ second most abundant organic substance, next ● Cereals
to cellulose
○ starchy foods like rice, corn, cassava, wheat, ○ starches are generally named after a plant
potato and others source
● Cornstarch
Potential Uses of Starch – from corn
● Rice Starch
Fortified Water
– from rice
○ unmodified starch can be used in the
● Tapioca
pharmaceutical, paper, mining and building
– from cassava
industries
● Wheat Starch
○ can be modified and converted to starch
– from wheat
derivatives, isosugar, high fructose syrup and
ethanol
Native Starch Starch Properties and Reactions
○ starches that originally derived from its plant Gelatinization
source ○ An irreversible reaction occurs when starch
solution is heated to a critical temperature
Modified Starch
○ those with structures altered by treatment with ○ When suspended in water, 1g of starch can
physical or chemical agents associate with 0.5 to 1.0 g of water, swelling very
lightly
→ Starch is a carbohydrate, made lots of sugars that
used to build starch called glucose Starch Viscosity
○ When the newly gelatinized starch is stirred,
→ Glucose is a monosaccharide (one) more swollen granules break and more starch
molecules spill causing increase in viscosity.
→ Many glucose is a polysaccharide
○ This increase in viscosity is characteristic of
→ The glucose molecules can be attached in a straight gelatinized starches
chain, eventually curving into a:
● amylose ○ Starches from root crops and waxy starches
– helical pattern exhibit a single stage viscosity increase which is
● amylopectin continuous from the onset to completion of
– branched pattern gelatinization

○ Starches from non-waxy grains however exhibit 2

stage viscosity increase,
● the first stage associated with the swelling
of the granules
● the second stage coincides with the
collapse of the starch granules.
 ○ Complete gelatinization is characterized by: Dextrinization
○ are brown in color and have a distinct taste and
● loss of birefringence Consistency
– evident only when viewed with a
polarized microscope ○ producing dextrin therefore results in a change
in color of food to golden brown
● Increase in viscosity
– readily observed ○ if the heat during toasting is not controlled the
reaction will proceed to carbonation (burning)
● Increase in clarity
– easily observed ○ are partially hydrolyzed starches that are
prepared by dry heat, such as:
Retrogradation ● Roasting Starch
○ The reassociation of the linear amylose chains by ● Toasting Bread
hydrogen bonding. Upon cooling, the gelatinized ● Browning of crust in baking cakes
starch forms a 3-dimensional network, creating a ● Browning flour of polvoron
structure that holds water. ● Toasting Rice flour for kare – kare

○ When cooled, gelatinized amylose-containing ○ During the heating process, the starches within
starches set into a rigid gel. This process of the food are broken down (by a chemical
setting is considered to be the onset of reaction) into sugars called dextrin
retrogradation.
Hydrolysis
Syneresis ○ starches undergo hydrolysis during
○ Characterized by the expulsion of moisture from cooking/processing and during storage of food
a gel
○ This reaction occurs in all kinds of gel like
pudding, jellies, custards, gelatin, agar, etc.
Properties of Starch – water paste at Similar Maximum Functional Properties of Starches
Viscosity ○ includes:
● Thickeners
● Colloidal stabilizers
● Moisture retainers
● Gel forming agents
● Binders
● Packaging components
● Flavor carriers
- Ability to trap oil and fats, which
absorb flavoring substances

○ starch is the main thickener in gravies, sauces

and pudding

○ starches with high amylopectin are preferred in

making thick sauces and gravies
Modified Starches
○ Starches that have been altered physically or ○ starches are:
chemically to modify one or more its key ● Added to processed meats as a filler,
chemical/physical property binder, moisture retainer and fats
substitute
● Added to soups, sauces and gravies as
thickeners
● Used in extruded cereals and snacks to
hold the shape of the material
● Use in canning as viscosity aids
Non – food Roles of Starches RS3
○ Paper Making is the largest non-food role of ○ are present in starchy foods or pure starches
starch followed by corrugated board manufacture that had undergone heating and gelatinization
then retrograded.
○ In the pharmaceutical industry, starch is used as
a binder and tablet disintegrant. RS4
○ refers to heavily chemically modified starches
Nutritional Importance of Starches
○ supplies the body with energy resource that can Common Problems in Starch Cookery
easily be utilized Lumping
○ 1g starch = 4 kilocalories ○ Lumps form when dry starch is dumped in warm
or hot water, the starch granules that come in
Resistant Starches contact with hot water immediately swell and
gelatinize, becoming sticky and forming a shell of
○ the sum of starch and products of starch
gelatinized starch over the starch granules that
degradation not absorbed in the small intestine
have not yet touched the hot water
of healthy individuals

Thinning of Gel
RS1
○ usually encountered when using acid or acid
○ starches that are physically inaccessible, due to
ingredients such as lemon and vinegar.
an encapsulation in intact cell wall

Weak Gel
RS2
○ results if there is too much liquid in relation to
○ is inaccessible to enzymes due to starch
the starch
conformation
○ can also happen with too much sugar or too
much fat.
Skin Formation Malagkit Rice Flour (pure amylopectin)
○ due to loss of water from the starch and protein ○ has opaque grains, very low amylose content,
molecules near the surface of the mixture and is especially sticky when cooked.
○ To reduce this problem, cover the container of
the starch gel with a waterproof cover Wheat Flour
○ made by grinding whole wheat grain kernels into
Scorching a fine powder and makes up a key ingredient of
○ can be avoided by temperature control and many staple foods in the average American diet,
constant stirring so the starch granules do not including bread and pasta.
settle at the bottom of the cooking pan
Cassava Flour
Raw Starch Flavor ○ Cassava is a tropical plant that bears an
○ due to ungelatinized starch energy-packed, tuberous root that’s rich in
carbohydrates and is used in both sweet and
Market Availability of Starches savory dishes
Cornstarch
○ sometimes referred to as corn flour ○ The cassava tuber is dried and ground to
○ a carbohydrate extracted from the endosperm of produce cassava flour
corn
○ most often used as a thickening agent for sauces, Potato Flour
gravies, glazes ○ potato starch
○ a fine textured, gluten-free flour made from
Ordinary Rice Flour (high amylose) cooked, dried and ground potatoes
○ used by food processors because of properties ○ typically used as a thickener
that enable freezing of the final product
Arrowroot
○ an easily digested starch extracted from the
roots of the arrowroot plant

○ It is gluten-free and can be used as a direct

substitute for cornstarch for folks with corn
allergies

○ no flavor of its own, so can be used to thicken

any sauce, soup, stew, or pudding

○ Use in gluten free baking for light, delicate

textures

Taro Flour
○ The root is rich in dietary fiber and minerals like
potassium, and, in powdered form, it’s a
nutritious alternative to wheat flour.