Ingredient Information

Function

Modified food starch is corn starch that has been processed either chemically, or with enzymes to give it desired properties like withstanding heat and acidity, retaining water, or gelling in cold solutions. Modified food starch is essential to, and exemplifies, the world of processed food. Powdered eggs and powdered cheese must flow when poured without caking and dissolve smoothly, reaching the perfect thickness when mixed with water. Frozen foods must maintain their texture and consistency, and thaw without dripping water. Instant pudding must gel without cooking. Oil based flavorants must be prevented from floating to the top of soft drinks. Nuggets, and fish breading must hold together without crumbling. And once the perfect texture, viscosity, and uniformity are achieved, the product must stay that way, unaltered, for weeks. All of these things are accomplished with the use of modified food starch.

Modified food starch is also useful to food manufacturers in adding bulk. It is used as a filler to increase the volume and mass of a product while reducing the use of more expensive ingredients like meat. Starch that is modified to hold moisture is used as a fat replacement. Its gluey texture gives the feel of fat and keeps low-fat processed meat from being dry.

When starch is modified, the molecules are chemically engineered into a new structure that gives the desired property. Some starch is modified just to withstand processing by machines. There are almost countless ways that starch is modified using acids, bases, and many other chemical compounds and enzymes. Manufacturers are not required to indicate how starch is modified, but simply list "modified food starch".

Other Use and Industries

Modified starch is used in the paper industry and in textile printing. It is also used in bio plastics and bio fuels. Modified starch is used in the manufacture of pharmaceutical as a binder, disintegrant, and expient - an inert substance that delivers the drug once ingested.

Health Effects

Modified food starch is a highly processed starch. When starches are refined they become closer to sugars and enter the blood stream rapidly like sugars. Simple starches also make the system acidic when consumed. Over time acidity in the system lead to many common, serious health problems. There is a significant amount of debate amongst researchers as to whether modified food starch are good for health. There's a lot of ongoing research on the subject.

Origins

Modified food starch is chemically and enzymatically altered in many different processes developed by food chemists. Acids and bases, like hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide, or bleach like hydrogen peroxide, and many other chemical compounds are used. Enzymes produced by microbial fermentation are also used, as well as some mechanical processes. Manufacturers are not required to indicate how starch is modified but simply list "modified food starch".