Corn is one of the main sources
of commercially produced starch which is the most important source of
carbohydrates in the human diet. Chemically, starch is a carbohydrate. It is a
polymer comprising of a range of molecular sizes. The basic mononumeric unit is
Danhydroglucose. The two basic types of polymers present are Amylose and
amylopectins. Amylose is a linear polymer in which essentially all of the
Anhydroglucose units are linked through 1, 4-a glucosidic bonds. Amylopectins
have a highly branched structure. They are larger polymers than Amylose. Starch
is essentially a group of carbohydrates known as Polysaccharides i.e. multiple
molecules of sugar. It is a mixture of two polysaccharides, Amylose (10-20%)
and Amylopectin (80-90%). In its native and modified form is used extensively
in the food, pharmaceutical, textile, paper, adhesive and a host of other
industries. Starch is also modified to suit the individual user requirements
and hence known as chemical starches. Risistarch can also be converted into a
range of starch derivatives such as Liquid Glucose,Dextrose
Monohydrate,Dextrose Anhydrous, Maltodextrin, Sorbitol etc. |