Tapioca Starch; Starch

(in 21,286 products)

1. Antistatic Agent - Reduces or eliminates the build up of static electricity.

2. Binder / Stabilizer - Retains the physical characteristics of food/cosmetics and ensure the mixture remains in an even state.

3. Bulking Agent - Non-nutritious or inactive substances added to increase stability of the mixture.

4. Gelling Agent / Thickener - Increases the viscosity by thickening the liquid to give it more texture

5. Suspending Agent - Promotes particle suspension or dispersion while reducing sedimentation

Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants as energy storage. It is the most common carbohydrate in human diets and is contained in large amounts in staple foods like potatoes, wheat, maize (corn), rice, and cassava. Pure starch is a white, tasteless and odorless powder that is insoluble in cold water or alcohol.

In industry, starch is converted into sugars, for example by malting, and fermented to produce ethanol in the manufacture of beer, whisky and biofuel. It is processed to produce many of the sugars used in processed foods. Mixing most starches in warm water produces a paste, such as wheatpaste, which can be used as a thickening, stiffening or gluing agent. The biggest industrial non-food use of starch is as an adhesive in the papermaking process. Starch can be applied to parts of some garments before ironing, to stiffen them.

1. PubChem: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/24836924

1. US FDA Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) (21 CFR 182) [2017]

- §182.90