Future Aspects of Potato Starch Processing

Although potato starch manufacturing is a mature technology, new developments will occur. The market is increasingly demanding a more defined starch quality. Starch production will move from a bulk production industry to a more commodity-oriented industry. This will result in different starch products from the potato process. For example, the Brabender or RVA viscosity or particle size distribution will have narrow specifications. 

Processes and products can be maximized by optimizing the potato by means of bio-technological improvements, such as the amylopectin potato, increasing the yield of starch per hectare of the potato crop by reducing vulnerability to disease (or decreasing the use of herbicides and pesticides), and increasing the amount and quality of protein in the potato. 

A third major field of developments will be in co-products. These streams will be treated as product streams rather than as waste streams. Much attention will be paid to product specification and GMP-like production. Also the recovery of better (more suited to specific applications) co-products will be investigated. Examples of this might include the recovery of asparagine, citric acid, low-potassium deproteinized concentrated potato juice, potassium nitrate, food-grade fiber and food-grade protein. 

Van Houten EJ. Anderhalve eeuw aardappelzetmeel industrie [One and a half centuries of potato starch industry] [AVEBE brochure]. The Netherlands, (Dutch) Veendam 1994. 

Starches Derivatives. Global Supply/Demand Patterns 2003-2010 GIRACT, 24 Pre-Colomb, CH-1290 Versoix/Geneva Switzerland, www.giract.com. 2004. 

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