Wheat starch is a carbohydrate found in wheat and is a common part of the human diet. Typical sources of starch for baking include wheat, corn, potatoes or tapioca. It is a polysaccharide containing an abundance of glucose molecules. Whether in its original form or as one of its derivatives, starch has a variety of uses in the food and manufacturing industries.
Food starches are added to thicken or stabilize products such as puddings, soups, sauces, pie fillings, salad dressings and in many baking applications.
Modified versions of starch are also frequently used in foods that have a low pH or cannot be heated.1
Origin
Starch comes from the Middle English word “strechen,” meaning “to stiffen,” yet use of the carbohydrate can be traced back much further. There are some references of ancient Egyptians sticking papyrus together with a starch glue and Romans extracting starch from grain in 170 BC. The first recorded starch discovery was by French chemist Bouillon Lagrange in 1804. A few years later, Russian chemist Gottlieb Kirchhoff found potato starch could produce sugar by an acid hydrolysis, the first modified starch.
Through the 18th century, wheat was the primary source of starch. However, potatoes and maize soon grew in popularity as well. During the 1940s, an increase in dry and processed foods grew the modified starch industry. The FDA is responsible for regulating the amount and types of modification.1
Commercial Production
In commercial production, maize, potato, tapioca, wheat, rice and arrowroot are sources for starch. The extraction method depends on the original plant or root being used. In the U.S., cereal grains are the most common source.2 ‘
To produce corn starch, kernels are cleaned and soaked in water to enlarge and soften them. They are then milled to crack the outer shells and then a separator frees the germ. The germ includes starch, fiber and gluten. After a fine grinding and screening process, the fiber, starch and gluten are processed in a centrifuge to spin out the thinner gluten. Wheat starch is made from hydrated flour; once the flour has been treated, the gluten matrix forms and the starch can be washed out. Potato, tapioca and rice starch are produced by a similar hydrating and centrifuging process.