Maize (Corn) Starch

About Maize (Corn) Starch Powder

Maize starch, also commonly known as corn starch, has the chemical formula (C₆H₁₀O₅)n. It is a fundamental ingredient in most packaged food and industrial products. Maize starch in natural, modified, pre-gelatinized, and dextrinized forms provides viscosity, texture, and other desired properties to all types of food & paper, products from canned chilled frozen to microwaveable goods, dry mixes, and extruded snacks. Starch is the starting material for manufacturing starch derivatives, which is often obtained from maize. Practically every industry in existence uses starch or its derivatives in one form or another.

Manufacturing Process

Maize starch is extracted from the white heart of the corn kernel and has a distinctive appearance and feed. Other sources of starch include potatoes, wheat, tapioca, and rice.

Food Industry

Maize starch is used as a thickening and gelling agent for its viscosity and opaqueness in sauces, soups, gravies, and various desserts. It is also an effective binder and stabilizer to give the necessary texture and sweetness to bakery products. Maize starch is used to produce high maltose syrup, high fructose syrup, and maltodextrin. Maize starch is also used in fermentation to produce monosodium glutamate and citric acid.

Adhesives Industry

The major use for starch-based adhesives is in so-called converting processes applied to paper and paperboard. These processes include the fabrication of corrugated boxboard, paper bags, folding cartons, laminated paperboard, and spiral-wound tubes, as well as off-machine pigment coating of paper and making of gummed labels and tapes.

Chemical Industry

Maize starch is an economical fermentation feedstock to produce many organic chemicals such as ethanol. It is made by fermenting sugars from corn starch and ethanol from corn starch, which promises to be a renewable source of fuel for care and other engines with environmental advantages.

Paper Industry

During papermaking, maize starch is used to provide dry strength and as a surface improvement aid in alkaline papermaking. Starch is also a critical part of wet-end sizing. It is an integral part of micro-particle retention and works as a binder water holding agent and carrier for surface sizing chemicals and other functional additives.

Textile Industry

In the manufacture of textiles, starch keeps the yarn straight and strong, significantly improving its ability to chemically withstand the stress of weaving.