Description
Modified Starches are carbohydrates that have undergone modifications to alter their physical and chemical properties. In its native, natural form, the uses or application of starch is quite limited due to several properties it possesses that aren’t always desirable. For instance, Native Starch can not withstand high pressure and temperature. Modified starch overcomes these pitfalls to an extent through the alteration of its properties.
As a result of a modification, Modified Starch usually has many applications, including in food production and manufacturing of pharmaceuticals. Modified starch doesn’t imply Genetically Modified Starch. Genetically Modified Starch mostly refers to starch gotten from genetically modified sources.
Some examples of Modified Starch include cationic starch, “hydroxypropylated” starch, distarch phosphate, “monostarch” phosphate, among several others.
How Is Modified Starch Used?
Modified Starches are utilized in different ways depending on the requirements. In pharmaceuticals, it is used as an excipient to give medications long-term stabilization and also help to physically bulk it up. Also, because of their adhesive nature, they are usually used to promote cohesiveness in pills to protect the often powdery active ingredients of medications from disintegrating.
In food production, Modified Starch is utilized as thickeners in several products like batters and breading, desserts as well as in soup and sauces. Commercial pizza toppings usually contain Modified Starch to help them thicken when heated and stick to the top of the pizza as toppings. They are also utilized as food additives to maintain the freshness, taste, quality, and texture of food products. Modified starch is usually added to some types of frozen food products to prevent them from being drippy when the loose ice or are defrosted.
The Benefits Of Modified Starch
Modified Starches are very important for manufacturers that produce candy and jelly as well as in other confectionery preparations. They are also effective as food stabilizers, thickeners, texturizers, and emulsifiers in commercial food production.
In terms of health benefits, Modified Starches are typically nutritious, although not necessarily in the same way as native starch. They also have similar health benefits to their native, non-modified counterparts. In the intestine, Modified Starch is treated as dietary fibre (soluble and nonsoluble), which can be fermentable. Modification processes to make Modified Starch typically do not result in increased toxicity, and as such, Modified Starch is safe to use.
Modified starch is also largely important in papermaking owing to the wide range of favourable properties that it possesses.
