Ingredient Information

Function

Modified Wheat Starch is the same as wheat starch but modified not to lose its thickening properties when heated. It is modified to increase nutritional benefits, to reduce gelatinization, to improve texture of food, to increase transparency of gels and pastes, etc. It can be used in sauces, soups and syrups. It can be used in some desserts. It is also used in pizzas, pasta and noodles.

Other Use and Industries

It is used in the paper industry, and for adhesives and sealants.

Health Effects

For clarification for those in the US or traveling to the US from the UK, my understanding is that the UK, and most of Europe, uses a different wheat starch than that which is commercially available in the US. So Ursula's response about the wheat starch being manufactured to fall under the 200ppm CODEX standard for gluten free applies ONLY IN THE UK/EUROPE. Wheat starch in the US has higher quantities of gluten, apparently, and is NEVER 'safe', even if you consider the CODEX standard safe.

Origins

Modified Wheat Starch is prepared by treating starch or starch granules, causing the starch to be partially degraded. Modified starch should not be confused with genetically modified starch, which refers to starch from genetically engineered plants, which have been genetically modified to produce novel carbohydrates which might not naturally occur in the plant species being harvested. The modification in this sense refers to the genetic engineering of the plant DNA, and not the later processing or treatment of the starch or starch granules. Modified wheat starch can be modified genetically. Wheat starch has been chemically modified in Australia and Europe since many years. Cross linking and substitution processes can be used to produce modified wheat starch.