Journal of Scientitic & Industrial Research Vol.58, June 1999, pp 403-413

Starch: Perspectives and Opportunities

Fausto F Dias B2, G3 Navelkar Estates, Bainguim, Old Goa, Goa 403 402

Starch is commercially mainly produced from , , , and . Most of the starch produced in India is from maize and tapioca. The manufacturing processes are described as well as the properties of the produced from different raw materials. Starches (native and modified) are used in the manufacture of a variety of products. The demand for starches is expected to grow in India, and the Indian starch industry will have to improve its efficiencies and produce quality products if it is to meet thi s demand. At present the per capita consumption of starch is one of the lowest in the world.

Introduction

Starch is a polysaccharide made up of glucose units wherein the glucose units are linked via 1-4 linkages, and is the reserve carbohydrate of the plant kingdom. called amylose, and a branched polymer, in which the Starch granules are deposited in the seeds, tubers, roots, linear molecule has branches attached to it via 1-6 link­ and stem pith of plants, as a reserve food supply for peri­ ages, called amylopectin. (Figure I). The proportion of ods of dormancy, germination, and growth. Starch oc­ amylose and amylopectin varies with different starches, curs as tiny granules ranging in size from I to 100 mi­ crons, the size and shape of the granules being plant spe­ Table I - Worldwide production of starches from cies specific. Next to cellulose, also a glucose polymer, various sources (1995) starch is the most abundant natural polysaccharide. Commercially, starch is derived from cereal grains Raw material Quantity such as wheat and maize, or from tubers such as potato, x 1000 MT % tapioca and arrowroot, or the pith of the sago plant. By Maize 27.380 74 far the largest quantity of starch is produced from maize, Waxy maize 370 I wheat, potato and tapioca. The world wide production of Wheat 2.960 8 starches from these raw materials is given in Table I . Tapioca The starches from different sources have different prop­ 3,700 10 erties which affect their functionalities, and hence, their Potato 2,590 7 end-use. Starches are normally referenced with respect Total 37,000 100 to their source: maize starch, tapioca starch, etc. (Note that maize starch is also referred to as , as Table 2 - Production of starch in various geographic maize is called corn in the U.S .A., the largest producer areas (1995) of maize and maize derived starch products). The vol­ ume of starch production in various continents is indi­ Quantity, x 1000 MT cated in Table 2. % In India, only maize and tapioca starches are produced Americas 18870 51 in significant quantities. Asia 9620 26 Europe 7400 20 Starch Properties Africa 740 Though all starches are condensation polymers of glu­ 2 cose, they are not an uniform material. Most starches Australia/Oceania 370 I contain two types of glucose polymers: a linear molecule, Total 37000 100 404 J SCI IND RES VOL. 58 JUNE 1999

o +---(J,6Iinkage) I 0-<=>-00-0-0CH20H CH2 CH20H .. . i (1,4 linkage) 1,6 linkages of AMYLOPECTIN

Linear structure of AMYLOSE Fig. 1 - Structure of amylose and amylopectin and influences the properties of the starch and its func­ swell to many times their normal size. When heating is tional properties. continued, the swollen granules begin to disintegrate. The Starch granules are insoluble in at ambient tem­ viscous mass results from the swelling and colloidal mass perature. However, when a water suspension of starch is of starch in water is referred to as starch paste. True solu­ heated beyond a critical temperature, the gelatinisation bilisation occurs when pastes are cooked at temperatures or pasting temperature, the granules absorb water and of IOO"C to J60"C. When a cooked paste is allowed to

FF Dias, after training as a biotechnologist at the I.I.Sc., Bangalore and at Cornell and Rutgers University, started his career developi ng processes to manufacture various microbial enzymes. Subsequently, he has been involved in every facet of the wet-milling industry. Besides his invol ment in the man ufacture of starches, dextrose, glucose syrup, and other products of th e wet milling industry, he has been associated with the developmel1l of various modifi ed starches and other starch rel ated products. More recently, hi s interests have centered around developing various food products specially those in which the function aliti es of products of the wet-milling industry are used to advantage. He has heen actively associated in the control of en vironmental pollution by the starc h industry. Dr. Dias has visi ted many wet-milling facilities, both in No rth and Latin America. DIAS : STARCH 405

Table 3 - Properties of some commercially available starches.

Maize Waxy maize Wheat starch Tapioca Potato . starch starch starch starch Granule Properties . Granule shape Round, Round, Round, Truncated, Oval, polygonal polygonal lenticular round spherical Diameter range, Jl 5-25 5-25 2-45 4-35 15-100 Specific area, m2/kg 300 300 500 200 110 Density 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 Granules/g, x million 1300 1300 2600 500 100 Composition, % ds Lipids 0.8 0.8 0.9 0.1 0.1 0.35 0.35 0.4 0.1 0.1 Ash 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.08 Phosphorus 0.02 0.D2 0.06 0.01 0.08 Amylose 28 I 28 17 24 Amylopectin 72 99 72 83 76 Gelatinisation characteristics A verage peak viscosity 600 800 300 1000 3000 (Brabender Units), 5% paste Paste viscosity Medium High Low High High Pasting temperature, 75-80 65-70 65-70 60-65 60-65 °c Paste texture Short, Long, Short, heavy, Long, Long, heavy body stringy, fluid body stringy, fluid stringy, body body fluid body Paste clarity Opaque Translucent Opaque Translucent Translucent Retrogradation High Very low High Low Medium Starch Film Clarity and gloss low high low High high Film strength low high low High high Flexibility low high low High high Film solubility low high low High high

stand, retrogradation (set-back) takes place due to a Maize (corn) Starch: reassociation of amylose molecules, leading to a gel or precipitate. Amylopectin molecules do not retrograde as The commercial production of maize starch the branches prevent close re-association needed for hy­ started in 1884 when a small plant was built in Jersey City, N.J., U.S.A. and in Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A. In 1888, drogen bonding. The gelatinization temperature of starches is species a larger plant was built in Oswego, N.Y., U.S.A. Since specific, and is generally in the range of 55"C and 80"e. then the technology for the manufacture of starch from High amylose maize starch may need cooking at tem­ maize has steadily improved and maize represents the peratures above I OO"C for complete pasting. The physi­ dominant raw material for starch manufacture. Most of cal properties of the pastes are also different for different the development took place in the U.S.A, which is the starches. largest producer of maize world-wide. The manufacture The properties of some common commercially avail­ of starch from maize by wet milling is schematically in­ able starches are indicated in Table 3. dicated in Figure 2. The figure also indicates the produc­ tion of nutritive sweeteners and dextrin as many wet mill­ History and Manufacturing Processes ers also have these in their operations. The basic princi­ The starch manufacturing process differs with the raw ple of starch manufacture from maize is the separation of the various maize constituents of the maize due to differ- materials. 406 J SCI IND RES VOL. 58 JUNE 1999

SHELLED MAJIZE

. ~ " MAIZE CLEANERS ~ STEEP TANKS GERM GRINDING ---->0.. SCREENS---",,- CENTRIFUGAL ---"'-----;1'" ~EPARATOR~.,;:SI .> MILLS SEPARATORS

HYDROCLONE 1 1 1 STARCH WASHING STEEP WATER GERMS -?OIL FIBRE GLUTEN ~ ______STARCH r SLURRY OIL 1CAKE RE}INERY STARCH DRIERS MODIFICATION TANKS r I ROASTERS DRIERS I NUTRITIVE I I SWEETENERS DEXTRINS lUNMODIFIED STARCH

Fig 2: Manufacture of maize starch

ences in density. The slUccess of the wet milling process from other sections of the process, in which sulphur di­ depends on the efficient recovery of all ingredients. The oxide is dissolved, is normally used) in a countercurrent sale of co-products contributes to the economic viability battery at SOlie. Because of the presence of sulphur di­ of the process. In fact, the wet milling industry normally oxide, as well as temperature, a lactic fermentation takes costs its products on the basis of net cost of maize, namely, place. Steeping is a very important step in the starch manu­ the cost after deducting the realisation for co-products. facturing process as it toughens the germ, and breaks At present, the unit value of some co-products is higher down the protein starch matrix, thus permitting the effi­ than that of starch. Additionally, it is important to have cient separation of the constituents of the maize kernel. an efficient recovery of the co-products, specially the Watson2 describes the chemistry associated with the steep- soluble fraction, to avoid adding to the cost of treating Table 4 - Recoveries of various products during the wet the effluent. Tekchandani et af. I have reviewed the prop­ milling of maize erties and uses of the co-products. One product not con­ Per cent of clean corn. dry basis sidered by them is corn oil which is recovered from the Starch 67.5 germ. Corn oil, generally regarded as a "healthy" oil, Corn Extractives 6.5 commands a premium price over other edible oils. Fibre 12.5 Germ 7.3 The wet-milling operation starts with the softening of Gluten Meal 5.4 the grain by steeping in sulphur dioxide solution (water DlAS: STARCH 407

VITAL GLUTEN SEPARATOR

WHEAT, CLEANED I-___D_E_W_A_T_E....;RIN.:.= , ....;G:..:,-=D-=R..:..:Y:....:I:.:...N-=G:....-~Vital, Gluten EVAPORATION ! J Solubles IDRYING _ DRY MILLING ~ Bran '-----~ hr------?oI'""'eed "I I 1 I STRIPPING L-...f---~

Flour ---')[){)UGHIBATrER MAKING i STARCH SLURRY Water

'f '¥ STARCH A STARCHB

Fig. 3 : Wheat Starch Manufacture

TIJBER (POTATO or TAPIOCA)

WASHING ~ RASPING ~ ROTATING SElVES T HYDROCLONES I

FIBRE ( SOLUBLES!

DRYING DRIER1 ~ STARCH FlED

Fig. 4 : Manufacture of tuber starches ing process. The softened grain is then ground, coarsely, pins at high speed or counter-rotating disc mills to free in mills having one stationary and one rotating disk. The the starch with minimum damage to the fibre. The fibre separated germs are collected in flotation cell s, or, more is recovered on a series of screens from which the ad­ commonly today, in hydroclones. The ground maize from hering starch and gluten is washed off and then dewatered which some of the germs have been separated is ground in screw presses. After the germs and fibre have been through a second grind mill to release germs not released removed, the starch and gluten are separated in a disc­ in the first pass. The released germs are collected as be­ nozzle type of centrifuge. Advantage is taken of the den­ fore. After germ separation, the maize slurry is passed sity difference, 1.06 for gluten versus 1.6 for starch . The through Entoleter mills which sling the material against gluten is dewatered on rotary vacuum filters and then 408 J SCI IND RES VOL. 58 JUNE 1999

Table 5 - Some physical and chemical modifications of starch practiced commercially.

Type of modi tic at ion Main objective Treatment Pregelatinised starch Cold water dispersibility Drum drying, extrusion Low viscosity :,tarches Low viscosity, High gel tendency Acid hydrolysis in suspension Dextrins Low viscosity, high solubility, Dry roasting improved tack, etc Oxidised starch Improved viscosity stability, low Hypochlorite oxidation viscosity Cross linked starch Shear, temperature, and pH Epichlohydrin, phosphorus stability of pastes; Improved oxychloride, adiphic acid texture and mouthfeel anhydride Esterification Improved viscosity stability Sodium orthophosphate, phosphorus oxychloride, vinyl acetate, octenyl succinic anhydride Etherification . Improved stability, lower Ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, gdatinisation temperature; Films sodium monochloroecetate. For have improved properties; cationic starch: Tertiary amino­ Change ionic charge (make starch alkyl derivatives cationic) (Dimethylaminoethyl chloride hydrochloride) or quaternary derivatives (3-chloro-2- hydroxypropyl trimethylammonium chloride) Combinations Combination of objectives Combination oftreatrnents Hydrolysis to maltodextrin and Bulking agents, nutritive Acid and/or enzymes starch sugars . sweeteners, instant energy

dried to give gluten meal with a protein concentration of Wheat Starch greater than 60 per cent. The starch stream from the cen­ Starch produced from wheat is a co-product of the trifugal separator still contains considerable quantities manufacture of vital gluten, the protein of wheat which of protein and these are removed by washing in a coun­ gives wheat dough its characteristic properties. Wheat tercurrent fashion in a series of hydroclones. In the wet­ emerged as a significant source of starch in Europe due milling of maize the only entry point for fresh water is at to changed agriculture market regulations in the seven­ the last stage of the starch washing system. The water ties. Tariffs made imported maize and "hard" wheat (17 from one operation is used in another. Efficient water per cent gluten) expensive. To make European "soft" use is an important facior in a successful wet-milling wheat (9-10 per cent gluten) suitable for baking purposes operation. Efficient operation results in over 99.5 per cent it had to be fortified with vital gluten, The demand for of the dry matter being recovered. The recoveries of starch vital gluten was the driver for increased availability of and co-products are indicated in Table 4. Indian wet mill­ wheat starch. The industry grew 900 per cent between ing operations do not achieve these recovery values at 1980 and 1993, from 0.3 million MT to 3 million MT. present, but there is a growing awareness that if they are Europe is the largest producer of vital gluten. Of the 440 to grow the market for maize starch they will need to thousand MT of wheat gluten produced world-wide in reduce costs by improving efficiencies. The manufacture 1997, about 50 per cent was produced in Europe, France, of waxy starch from waxy maize is done in the same Germany, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom be­ manufacturing facility used for milling regular maize. ing the main producers. The U.S.A. produced about 45 Waxy maize is more difficult to mill, and the recoveries thousand MT and Australia 55 thousand MT. The net are lower than those obtained with regular maize. No cost of wheat has averaged 80 per cent of the maize net Indian wet miller grinds waxy maize. cost in Europe. Wheat is technically more difficult to The most comprehensive description of the produc­ process. Cost effective technologies emerged in the late tion of starch from maize is given by Blanchard'. seventies with the development of the Rasio process in DlAS : STARCH 409

STARCH SLURRY

I TO MODIFIA TION FLASH DRIED & REFINIRlES I I I UNMODIFIED DRY MODIFIED Roasted (dextrins) (non-Gelatinised) t: Extruded GlucoseI syrup, Dextrose, HFCS

Additives No additives

ACETYLATED ACID BLEACHED HYDROXY HYDROXY THINNED OXIDISED ETHYLATED PROPYl-ATED

CROSSLINKEO OCTENYL CATIOMSED 1

PRE-GELA TINISED FLASH DRIED Fig. 5 : Manufacture of modified starches Finland. Subsequently other technologies have been de­ value product which is used in the production of carbon less veloped, and the major maize starch manufacturers in paper. Europe (Roquette, Cerestar, Amylum) have set up large wheat processing facilities. Figure 3 is an illustration of Tuber Starches-Tapioca and Potato the process to manufacture wheat starch. In contrast to is mainly produced in Europe especially the manufacture of starch from maize, wheat is first in The Netherlands and in Germany. About 25 per cent of dry milled to a flour. The dry milling process, as well as the starch produced in Europe is derived from potatoes. the quality of the wheat, have an important bearing on Other than fructose syrup, potato starch manufacture is the "vitality" of the gluten recovered. Thereafter, the regulated by a subsidy system. Regulations offer subsi­ wheat flour is either made into a dough or batter with dies to about 1.7 million MT of potato starch spread over water. The starch is then separated from the gluten. The several European countries. Special grades of potato are starch fraction also contains fibres, pentosans and bran. grown for starch manufacture; these are not marketed for The gluten contains about 75-85 per cent protein (N x table use. It may be mentioned that maize gives three times 5.70, not 6.25 as for maize gluten). The starch fraction as much starch per unit of raw material as does potato. In is refined through centrifugal separators to give two the United States small quantities of potato starch are pro­ starch fractions, A- and B- starch. A-starch (60-65 per duced using potato wastes (peels, etc.) from the food in­ cent) is made up of starch particles of size 15-50 mi­ dustry as the raw material. The food industry is finding crons, while B-starch has a particle size of2-15 microns. uses for these wastes, and hence its availability as a raw The B-starch is about 15-20 per cent of the starch re­ material is becoming scarce. covered and is of low purity (protein between I and 2 Tapioca starch is mainly produced in South East Asia, per cent). It is sometimes used to prepare glucose syrup Brazil and India. In India, 50,000 MT of the 150,000 MT but as these are difficult to refine to an acceptable level, of the tapioca starch produced is conveltecl to "sago" pearls the fraction is normally added to feed. The very small (sabudanna) 4. Under the Industrial Development Regu­ granules are sometimes further purified to yield a high lation Act (lOR) (India), 1951 , tapioca sago and tapioca 410 J SCI IND RES VOL. 58 JUNE 1999

Table 6 - Products in the manufacture of which starch is used

CORN STARCH CORN STARCH DEXTRINS ( Industrial Uses) (Food, Drug or Cosmetic Uses) Abrasive paper and cloth Antiboitics Adhesives (glues, pastes, Adhesives (glues, mucilages, gums etc.) Aspirin mucilages, gums) Batteries, dJ;1cell Baby foods Bookbinding Binder or binding agents Bakery products (bread, rolls, Briquettes Board (corrugating, laminating, solid cakes, pies, crackers and cookies) Candles fiberboard, cardboard) Baking powder Ceramics Boiler compounds Beverages, brewed (beer, ale) Cord polishing Bookbinding Chewing gum Core binder (castings, molds, Briquettes Chocolate drink etc.) Ceramics (as clay binder) Confectionery Cork products Chemicals Cosmetics Crayon and chalk (as a binder) Cleaners, detergenets Desserts (, custards) Dyes (dry, cake, etc.) Coatings on wood, metal and paper Drugs and pharmaceuticals Envelopes Colour carrier ( in paper and textile Flours, prepared (including Fireworks printing) prepared mixes) Inks, printing . Cord polishing, sizing Food and drug coatings Insecticides Cork Products Gravies and sauces Insulation, fiberglass Crayon and chalk (as a binder) Meat products Lables Dispersing and standardizing agent Mixes, prepared (pancake, waffle, Leather Dressing, surgical cake, candy, etc.) Linoleum Dyes (as a bodying agent, carrier Mustard, prepared Magazines diluent, etc Pie fillings Matches (on head and side of Fermentation processes Precooked frozen meals box) Fiberglass size Salad dressing Oil-well drilling Fireworks Soaps and cleaners Ore seperation Insecticide powders Soups Paints (cold-water, poster, etc.) Insulating material (glass, wool, rock Sugar, powdered Paper and paper products wool, etc.) Vegetables, canned Plastics (moulding) Lubricating agents Plywood Oilcloth Sandpaper Oil-well drilling (drilling mud) Shoes (counter pastes, polish, Ore refining (electrolytic reduction etc.) Process, flotation process, etc.) Silvering compounds Paints (cleaning compounds, cold- Soaps water and latex paints, poster, Straws (drinking) lacquers, etc.) Textiles, sizing, finishing and Paper and paper products manufacture printing Plastics (moulded) Twine (cord, string, etc.) Plywood (interior) Wallboard and wallpaper Printing Window shades and shade cloth Protective colloids (emulsions) iexti\es (warp sizing and fll1ish·ll1g) Tile, ceiling Tires, rubber Wallboard and wallpaper Water recovery, industrial

From:The World orCom, 1997. The National Corn Growers Association, St. Louis, MO.

flour, but not tapioca starch, are reserved fo r exclusive principle, the same except that the practices followed manufacture in the small scale sector. are not mechanised resulting in an inferior grade of starch. Though there are some differences in the details, the Considering that tapioca starch and some of its deriva­ manufacturing processes of potato and tapioca starch are tives command a price premium in the U.S.A. and Eu­ essentially similar. This statement applies to the mechani­ rope it would be useful if the manufacturing processes cal process used but not to the manual process employed are upgraded to yield a globally acceptable product. Fig­ by most tapioca starch producers in Salem District of ure 4 shows a schematic diagram for producing tuber Tamil Nadu, where most of th e tapioca starch is manu­ starches. factured in India. The process used by these units is, in DIAS : STARCH 411

Table 7 - Starch use, %, by end-use sector (1995) Use sector U ~ S . A. European Union India Ethanol 42 3 0 Fructose syrup 31 4 0 Other starch sweeteners 12 40 45 Food use 4 12 19 Non-food use 11 41 36 Total starch production: U.S.A.: 22.95 million MT. cU: 0.75 million MT. India: 0.55 million MT

have been the main drivers for the rapid growth of the Table 8 - Per capita starch consumption (kg) maize wet milling industry in North America. There is a U.S.A. 64 move to use starch or starch hydrolysates as the raw ma­ Canada 52 terial for the microbiological production of various chemi­ European Union 18 cals6.7. Large quantities of starch are converted to lactic Japan 15 acid to be used as the starting material for the manufac­ Mexico 14 ture of plastics. Erythritol is an other example. South Africa 8 Thialand 3 Details of the application of starch and modified starch Pakistan 2 have been described by Dias" Dias, Tekchandani and India 0.6 MehtaK and WurzburgY • By far the largest consumer of Wo!ld Average 6.5 dried starch in the United States and in Europe is the paper industry. In India, the largest consumer is the tex­ tile industry. The paper industry uses starches at the wet end before the paper sheet is formed, for sizing where the starch is applied to the web (the wet paper sheet) and finally for coating the paper. Starch use for sizing is by Modified Starches far the largest application consuming about double the Starches from any plant source can be modified either quantity used in the other two applications. Different types by physical or chemical methods. Figure 5 is a sche­ of starch are used for each application. In 1996, the U.S. matic diagram of the modified starch manufacturing proc­ paper industry consumed 1.2 million MT of various types ess. The commercially practised modifications have been of starches 10. Besides its use in the manufacture of paper, reviewed by Dias' and are given in Table 5. Modified large quantities of starch are used in the manufacture of starches prepared from starches derived from different corrugated board. A second large user of starch is the sources may have different properties. In certain appli­ textile industry. The larger of the applications is in warp cations modification of a particular starch makes it suit­ sizing of cotton and cotton blended fabrics where the warp able for a particular use. For example, the texture of waxy yarn is strengthened by impregnating it with starch mixed starch pastes is not acceptable for food use unless the with other chemicals so as to enable it to withstand the same is modified by cross linking. weaving process. Starches are also used in the fini shing of fabrics, specially inferior products, to add weight and Applications to improve the handle of the fabric. The latter is an im­ Starches and modified starches are used in a variety portant application in India, where a significant amount of industries (Table 6). Even in a single industry, starch of coarse grades of cotton fabrics are produced. Starches may be used in more than one application. A very large are also used in the stiffening of garments. A consider­ part of the starch produced is converted to nutritive sweet­ able amount of starch goes into the manufacture of adhe­ eners such as glucose syrup, dextrose, and high fructose sives and glues. The food industry is a major user of starch syrup (Table 7). Considerable quantities have also been where it is used as a thickener and bodying and bulking used in the United States as a raw material for the manu­ agent. In a few instances it may be the main contributor facture of fuel ethanol. High fructose sy rup and ethanol to the nutrition of the product. Usually, it is used as it 412 J SCI IND RES VOL. 58 JUNE 1999

imparts various functional properties to the food. In the starch, both for paper and board, is expected to be about Indian context, an important use of tapioca starch is the 100,000 MT per annum early in the next century from manufacture of "sago" pearls (saudana ). About 50,000 the existing level of about 18,000 MT per annum. The MT of sabudana are produced annually4. Table 5 is a food industry will also require additional quantities of list of products where starch is used or can be used. This starch and starch products. The CII-McKinsey report, li st excludes products where starch derivatives such as FAIDN2, states that the industry is expected to double glucose syrup and sorbitol are used. Very large quanti­ the production within a decade, with value added prod­ ties of glucose syrup are used in confectionery, while ucts increasing threefold . For example, the confection­ sorbitol is used in tooth paste, cosmetics and in several ery industry is expected to grow at Iea ~ t 5 times by the other applications II. Brewing is another area which takes year 2005. This would mean that th e requirement for glu­ large volumes of a specialised starch derived high mal­ cose syrup will grow to about 350,000 MT, from the ex­ tose syrup. This application has been the driver fo r the isting level of 70.000 MT per annum. The demand for rapid growth of the starch industry in Brasil and South processed foods will increase the demand for starches, Africa, for example. It is evident that starch and starch both native and modified. Though their growth is re­ derived products are used in the manufacture of a very strained by the lack of clarity regarding their use in the wide range of products. There are substitutes for starch, Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (P f'"A), Indi a, there but starch is the most cost effective. has been an increase in the import of such starches, and the starch industry will have to act expeditiously to pre­ Opportunities vent imported products from gaining a foothold. The per capita consumption of starch in India is low even when compared to consumption in Pakistan (Table The above are a few examples indicating the potenti al 8). The comparison with Pakistan is meaningful as the for increased use of starch. If the Indian starch industry cultures and food habits in the two countries are not di s­ is to benefit from this increased demand it will have to similar. The world average growth rate is reported to be increase efficiencies, so that starches are available at a 12 per cent. The growth rate in India has been less than low cost and comparable in quality to the best in the world. 5 per cent. However, with changes in the economy there The starch industry should take advantage of the fact th at should be a spurt in the demand for starches both in in­ tapioca is available ,in India, and produce value added dustrial applications and in the food sector. products for export s. Tapioca starch and products pre­ pared from it command a premium in ternationall y, if the quality meets international standards. The Indian starch One of the major opportunities for in creased use of industry will have to convince the fanner to cultivate hi gh starch is in the paper industry and in the corrugated board yielding hybrids with improved millability so as so as to industry. The consumption of paper and board in India is improve efficiencies. The starch industry should make it one of the lowest in the world, the per capita consump­ profitable for the Indian farmer to grow waxy maize so tion being about 3.3 kg. This is lower than the 19 kg av­ that this type of starch is also available to industry. Alter­ erage consumption in Asian countries, and the world av­ natively, the industry should develop tapioca based erage of 45 kg. The demand in India is expected to grow, starches which could compete against waxy starches. It driven by the general economic and social development is well to remember that waxy starch was developed as a such as increased purchasing power, urbani sation and consequence of the non-availability of tapioca starch in consumeri sm, increased literacy and development of the the U.S.A. due to the hostilities in the early forties. The educational sector. A conservative estimate is that by the industry would have to analyse the benefits as to which year 20 10 the demand for paper and board wi II have i n­ raw material is the more economical creased from the present 3.5 million MT per annum to .The Indian starch industry will have to be proactive 9.7 million MT. Besides the increased demand for paper, in convincing customers about the advantage of using there will be a shift to better grades of paper. This, to­ starches and products derived from starch. Customers wi ll gether with the increased use of inferior types of pulp have to be convinced that purchasing a high priced starch and pulp derived from recycled paper, will need the in­ could reduce their manufacturing cost, or produce a prod­ creased use of starch to produce quality paper. Based on uct with superior properties which could fetch a better starch use patterns in the United States, the demand for price. DIAS : STARCH 413

References 6 Lerner M, Chem Mkt Rep, 252 (1997) I. 7 Chem Mkt Rep, 252 (1997) pp 5 and 16. Tekchandani H K, Dias F & Mehta D, J Sci Ind Res, 58(2) 8 Dias F F, Tekchandani H K and Mehta D, Indian Fd Ind, 16, ( 1999)83-88, ( 1997)39. 2 Watson S A, Starch: Chemistry and Technology, edited by R L 9 Wurzburg 0 B, Modified Starches: Properties and Uses, Whistler, J N Bemiller and E F Paschall (Academic Press, (CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, Florida) 1986. Orlando, FL, U.S.A.) 1984, p. 418. 10 Rooks A, Pima :~ Papermaker, September 1998 pp. 60-62. 3 Blanchard P H, Technology of Corn Wet Milling and Associated II Kachhi A I, Mehta D & Tekchandani H K. Saket Food Process­ Processes, (Elsevier Science Publishers B.Y., The Netherlands) ing Handbook edited by Vyas J N and Shah G ( Saket Publishers 1992. Ltd, Ahmedabad, India) 1998, 311-321 . 4 Dias F F & Mehta D C, Starch/Starke, 49 (1997) 338. 12 Food and Agriculture Integrated Development Action ClI­ 5 Dias F F Chem Wkly, 44 (1998) 163. McKinnsey Report (FA/DA) (ClI, New Delhi) 1997.