International Starch Trading
Science Park Aarhus, Denmark

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Amylose & Amylopectin

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Industrial Food Starches:

Cornstarch covers 83% of world demand for starch. Most made from dent corn. Special varieties are: Waxy,
High amylose 55%,
High amylose 70%.

Wheat Starch has grown to a 6% share supported by EU.

Potato Starch holding a 6% share  depends on EU common agricultural policy.

Tapioca Starch has reached a 4% and increasing share. 

Rice Starch and others are niche products. 

Other starches. These "others" starches are attracting interest because they offer versatility to the food designer, and - as native starches - does not load the food label.

Starch is an important constituent in many foods. It plays an obvious role in achieving the desired viscosity in such products as cornstarch pudding, sauces, pie fillings and gravies. It plays a more subtle role in potatoes, cereals, and baked products such as biscuits, muffins, popovers, pastry, cake and bread.

It is used as a water binding and texturizing agent. It has a high viscosity, water-holding capacity and binding abilities.

Potato Starch

Native Potato Starch is a food grade product derived from potato tubers.

It is a white to off-white powder with a moisture below 20%. Gelatinization temperature: 57 - 65 C. The pH of a slurry in water is neutral. It is an excellent food starch. Potato starch has a lower gelatinization temperature than other starches, a much higher peak viscosity and less resistance to breakdown over prolonged heating. Pastes are extremely clear, with little tendency to retrograde.

Tapioca Starch

Native Tapioca Starch is a food grade product refined from cassava roots. It is used for its bland flavor profile.

It is a white to off-white powder with a moisture below 13%. Gelatinization temperature: 59 - 65 C. The pH of a slurry in water is neutral. Tapioca Starch is very bland and clean in flavor and is not masking the flavors used. Tapioca starch has a good mouth feel, and is often used in the food industry for thickening.

Cooked it forms a quite clear gel with a long and slightly stringy texture. Upon cooling, it sets to a soft gel. It loses most of its thickening ability during prolonged heating and under acidic conditions. The cooked gel resembles that of potato starch, but the texture is less stringy and the flavor i more neutral, making it a preferred thickener in delicate foods and desserts. 

Special food applications: Extruded snacks, where it improves expansion, custard-type pie filling, where it reduces surface cracking and in baby foods as a bodying agent. In biscuits and in cream sandwiches 5-10 % tapioca starch softens the texture and renders the biscuit nonsticky.

In general it may be used as a thickener in foods not subject to rigorous processing. 

For household cooking tapioca starch is the starch of choice in thickening fruit desserts - it gives a clear dessert but with improved and "shorter" texture compared to potato starch. 

AMYLOSE AND AMYLOPECTIN  

Normal native starches consist of a mixture of 15-30 per cent. amylose and 70-85 per cent. amylopectin. Amylose structurally is a linear polymer of anhydroglucose units, of molecular weight approximately between 40 000 and 340 000, the chains containing 250 to 2000 anhydroglucose units. Amylopectin is considered to be composed of anhydroglucose chains with many branch points; the molecular weight may reach as high as 80 000 000 (Re. WHO). Amylose is an unbranched chain which is coiled in the shape of a helix. If iodine is added to a solution containing amylose molecules, the iodine inserts itself into the helix making it rigid. This changes the color of the starch mixture to blue or purple depending on the length of the amylose molecule. Amylopectin is a branching molecule which does not form a helical coil. Thus the iodine is not able to bind to the starch molecule. Amylose contributes to the gelling property of starch whereas amylopectin contributes high viscosity. This classic statement, however, may not be entirely valid. Both properties are used in the preparation of foods.

Food Applications

 

Canning filling viscosity aid suspension aid for particulates opacity agent body or texture agent for soups, sauces, puddings and gravies aseptically canned products beverages such as coffee, teas or chocolate Cereals and Snacks hot extruded snacks chips, pretzels, etc. extruded and fried foods ready-to-eat cereals Bakery pies, tarts fillings, glazes custards and icings cakes, donuts, Danish icing sugar Batters and Breadings coated fried foods frozen battered vegetables, fish and meat dry mix coatings Dressings, Soups and Sauces mayonnaise-type pourable salad dressings (high shear) spoonable dressings instant dry salad dressing mixes low-fat dressing canned gravies and sauces frozen gravies and sauces soups and chowders ketchup Cooked Meat Binder water binder for formed meat smoked meats, low-fat meats pet foods (dried and canned)

Frozen Foods fruit fillings meat pies Oriental foods soups, sauces entrees cream-based products Flavors and Beverage Clouds encapsulation of flavors, fats, oils vitamins, spices, clouding agents spray dried flavors for dry beverage mixes, bartender mixes, beverage emulsions liquid and powdered non-dairy creamers Confectionery dusting powder licorice jelly gums hard gums panned candies confectioners sugar   Dairy Products yoghurt cheese and imitation cheese chilled desserts UHT Puddings low-fat products Microwavable Products cheese sauces entrees Synergies with Carrageenan carrageenan/starch systems

 

Functional Properties of Starches in Foods

 

specific viscosity (hot and cold) thin boiling (faster canning heat transfer) viscosity resistance acid/mechanical sheer freeze-thaw stability (natural / modified) gel texture, body at various temperatures clarity, opacity processing conditions tolerance oil retention, high or low resistance to . setback. (gel formation) high sheen flow properties emulsion stabilizing capacity

mouthfeel, lubricity, palate-coating suspension characteristics adhesiveness crystallinity bland taste long shelf-life stability hygroscopicity color anti-caking cold-water swelling or dispersibility swelling and resistance to swelling film-forming properties

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Amylopectin

Amylose

Amylose gives the gel strength and the amylopectin gives  high viscosity.

High-amylose starches will give gelling properties and the waxy starches will give  high viscosity.

In solution, the linear amylose molecules more easily align  with one another and  through hydrogen bonding form gels. 

The branched amylopectin molecules align less easily and form weaker gels.

Viscosity is a function of molecular weight. The branched and bulky amylopectin  forms larger molecules than amylose and gives a higher viscosity.

Potato and tapioca starch have a higher molecular weight than cornstarch making it difficult for the molecules to associate and "set back".

The classic statements above, however, are simplistic and may not be entirely valid.

Tapioca starch size distribution: Keywords: glucose,fructose,syrup,starch,native,modified,application,food,viscostar