Native, modified and clean label starches in foods and beverages - Natural Food Additives, Ingredients and Flavourings - page 160

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Native, modifi ed and clean label starches
in foods and beverages
P. McDonagh, Healy Group, Ireland

Abstract: This chapter discusses native starches, modifi ed starches from various
botanical sources, and clean label starches. For native starches and modifi ed starches, the
chapter outlines their production process, where grown, global consumption/usage, some
indications of applications and functionality. Major differences between the starches, and
their strengths and weaknesses, are noted. Clean label starches and the continuing trend
to create starches with similar functional properties to their chemically modifi ed
counterparts are then considered.

Key words: native starches, modifi ed starches, clean label starches, applications,
functionality, chemically modifi ed counterparts.

7.1 Introduction
Starches have been used since ancient times and there are many references in
history to the use of starch in food and non-food applications. The extraction of
starch, for example, was described in the Natural History of Pliny the Elder in
around AD 77-79 (Maningat et al. 2009). The word 'starch' is thought to have
derived from the Anglo-Saxon 'stearc' and has the meaning of strength or stiffness.
Starch can be extracted from many of the plants containing it and thus today we
fi nd starch derived from many botanical sources. The most common sources and
their starch structures are set out in Fig. 7.1.
Starches can be categorised mainly into two groups, particularly from a
labelling perspective, as either native or modifi ed. Native starches are produced
through the separation of naturally occurring starch from grain or root crops (such
as tapioca, rice, corn and potato) and can be used directly in producing certain
foods, such as noodles. The starches produced contain on average 19-22%
moisture with their original structures intact. Modifi ed starch is produced from

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