Future of Starch

The chapter on com and sorghum starch production not only thoroughly covers advances in understanding and in carrying out the wet-milling process, but also alternative com kernel fractionation techniques, the relationship of starch production to other products from com grain and future directions. 

Information on many parts of the starch ester field is decidedly inadequate. It is hoped that future investigations will extend and round out the knowledge of starch esters, not only from the theoretical aspect but also from the view of the commercial utilization of these potentially low-cost products. 

The disadvantage of using starch as a raw material in comparison with oil-derived chemicals is the cost. Consider, for example, the conversion of starch into polyethylene via its fermentation to ethyl alcohol and subsequent dehydration of the latter [37], the maximum yield of ethylene produced from starch being close to 35%. However, the increase in oil prices and the ecological and political concerns associated with the oil-based economy could in the near future make starch a viable raw material along with other crops such as sugarcane and cellulose from wood and agricultural residues. 

The Pharmaceutical and Chemical Applications sector covers a wide range of different uses of starch and is one of the most promising development areas for carbohydrate chemistry in the future. 

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