Modified starch

Modified starch, also called starch derivatives, is prepared by physically, enzymatically, or chemically treating native starch to change its properties. Modified starches are used in practically all starch applications, such as in food products as a thickening agent, stabilizer or emulsifier; in pharmaceuticals as a disintegrant; or as binder in coated paper. They are also used in many other applications.

Starches are modified to enhance their performance in different applications and are one of the components of ultra-processed foods. Starches may be modified to increase their stability against excessive heat, acid, shear, time, cooling, or freezing, to change their texture, to decrease or increase their viscosity, to lengthen or shorten gelatinization time or to increase their visco-stability.

An ancient way of modifying starch is malting grain, which humans have done for thousands of years. The plant's own enzymes modify the grain's starches. The effects can be modulated by varying the duration and the ambient conditions of the process. However, malting alone is not a limitless or optimized tool for every desirable end product. In recent centuries, humans have expanded their repertoire of starch-modifying methods by learning how to use simple substances such as acids, alkalis, and enzymes from nature to modify starches in tailored ways.

Acid-treated starch (INS 1401), also called thin boiling starch, is prepared by treating starch or starch granules with inorganic acids, e.g. hydrochloric acid (equivalent to stomach acid), breaking down the starch molecule and thus reducing the viscosity.

Other treatments producing modified starch (with different INS and E-numbers) are:

and combined modifications such as

Modified starch may also be a cold-water-soluble, pregelatinized or instant starch which thickens and gels without heat, or a cook-up starch which must be cooked like regular starch. Drying methods to make starches cold-water-soluble are extrusion, drum drying, spray drying or dextrinization.

Other starch derivatives, the starch sugars, like glucose, high fructose syrup, glucose syrups, maltodextrins, starch degraded with amylase enzyme are mainly sold as liquid syrup to make a sweetener.