The Starch Production Process

Summary

This video explains how EU starch producers efficiently transform crops like wheat, maize, and potatoes into bio-based ingredients for food, feed, fuel, and industrial uses. It outlines the production process, from the extraction of starch, proteins, and fibers, to creating various products such as native and modified starches, bioethanol, and starch-based sugars. The video also delves into the breakdown of starch into glucose, dextrose, and sugar alcohols, showcasing the innovation behind sustainable, circular, and near-zero-waste production practices. Starch-based products are highlighted for their diverse applications in everyday life.

Takeaways

• 🌾 **Sustainable Raw Materials**: EU starch production begins with sustainably sourced raw materials like wheat, maize, and potatoes.
• 🔄 **Initial Processing**: Raw materials are cleaned, ground, and processed to separate their components, resulting in starch slurry, proteins, and fibers.
• 🍚 **Starch Slurry**: The primary product is starch slurry, a milky mixture that can be further processed in multiple ways.
• 🌟 **Native Starches**: Starch slurry can be dried to create native starches, used broadly in food preparation and industrial applications.
• 🔬 **Modified Starches**: Starch can be modified through roasting, cooking, or chemical treatment to achieve specific properties for various uses.
• 🍶 **Bioethanol Production**: A portion of the starch residue is fermented and distilled into bioethanol for biofuels or disinfectants.
• 🍯 **Starch-Based Sugars**: Starch slurry is hydrolyzed to produce sugars with varying sweetness levels, known as dextrose equivalence (DE).
• 🌿 **Maltodextrins**: Produced from light hydrolysis, maltodextrins are complex carbohydrates with low sweetness, used in food formulations.
• 🍬 **Glucose Syrups**: Further hydrolysis yields glucose syrups, which enhance texture, taste, and glossiness in food products.
• 💧 **Dextrose (Glucose)**: Complete hydrolysis results in pure glucose, or dextrose, valued for its energy content and low sweetness.
• 🔄 **Isomerization**: Glucose can be isomerized into fructose to create sweeter syrups used in soft drinks and confectionery.
• 🌱 **Polyols Production**: Hydrogenation or fermentation of sugars produces polyols, sugar-free sweeteners with health and dental benefits.

Q & A

What are the main raw materials used by EU starch producers?

The main raw materials used by EU starch producers are sustainably sourced wheat, maize, and potatoes.

How is wheat processed in the starch production process?

Wheat is first ground, water is added, and then it is centrifuged and sieved to separate its various components.

What happens to maize during the starch production process?

Maize is cleaned and then ground with water, after which the various parts are separated and extracted.

How are potatoes prepared for starch production?

Potatoes are cleaned and grated into ultra-fine shreds, from which starch grains are extracted and cleaned before processing.

What is starch slurry and what is its primary use?

Starch slurry is a milky mixture of starch and water, and it is primarily used for further processing into native starches, modified starches, or starch-based sugars.

What are native starches and what are their applications?

Native starches are obtained by drying the starch slurry into a white powder and are used in a broad range of applications in everyday food preparation and industrial applications.

What are modified starches and how are they produced?

Modified starches are produced by roasting, cooking, or treating starch with chemicals to give it specific properties, and they are used in food preparations to improve resistance to cooking temperature changes and extend shelf life.

What is bioethanol and how is it related to starch production?

Bioethanol is a type of biofuel or disinfectant produced by fermenting and distilling a small part of the starch or residue left over from the starch production process.

How is dextrose equivalence (DE) measured in starch hydrolysis?

Dextrose equivalence is measured on a scale from 1 to 100, where 1 to 3 indicates almost intact starch with no sweetening power, and 100 indicates complete hydrolysis into dextrose with a higher sweetening power.

What are polyols and how are they produced?

Polyols, or sugar alcohols, are produced through hydrogenation or fermentation of sugars and are used as sugar-free sweeteners with unique characteristics such as being low calorie and not causing dental caries.

How does starch Europe ensure circularity and near-zero waste in starch production?

Starch Europe ensures circularity and near-zero waste by utilizing the entire starch slurry and residue for various applications, from native and modified starches to bioethanol and starch-based sugars, thus minimizing waste.