Native starch thickeners

The approaches that were offered are illustrated in the patent literature of the time. Chiu et al.121 claim that starch heated after being adjusted to an alkaline pH value and then dried would behave as though it was crosslinked. In a patent awarded in 1999, Mahr and Trueck122 claim the use of amylose-containing starches complexed with lipid to enhance tolerance to thermal processing. Kettlitz and Coppin123 treated starch with activated chlorine to create a native product that was temperature-tolerant like a conventionally crosslinked starch. 

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Fundamental concepts of starch chemistry provide an interpretation of its function and behavior in various food uses. The characteristics of modified starches depend on granule structure and on specific size and shape of the component molecules. Most native starches contain both linear and branched polysaccharides. The linear fraction is responsible for gel formation and for various retrogradation effects, the branched fraction for high colloidal stability and good suspending qualities. Starches are employed in the food industry as gel formers, thickening agents, and colloidal emulsifiers. Desired characteristics can frequently be enhanced by choice of an appropriate modified starch. The various food uses are individually discussed from the standpoint of molecular behavior and optimal types of modification. 

Native starches, obtained by the various wet-milling processes described in Chapter 8, are industrially transformed by physicochemical and enzymatic processes into modified or functional starches or an array of syrups with different degrees of sweetness. Approximately 285 million bushels of native and modified starches were produced in the United States in the year 2006 (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service 2009). Modified starches acquire specific functional properties for special applications in the food industry. They are widely used as thickeners in the canning industry, as base for batters and breadings (Chapter 10), as emulsifiers, and as adhesives or glues in non-food-related industries. 

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