Translated from German, starch means "strongflour". Being a complex natural polymer, starch consists of two polymers: amylose (25%) and amylopectin (75%). Externally, starch is a white substance that has no taste and smell, practically insoluble in cold water, but swelling in hot water, while acquiring the properties of a paste. When squeezed by fingers, the white powder produces a characteristic creak. When viewed under a microscope, you can see the granular structure of the starch.
Initially, during the cleavage of starch, a polysaccharide dextrin is formed, a product of partial cleavage of starch. Dextrins can be obtained by rapidly heating starch containing 10-20% water.
Such a starch cleavage product as dextrinhas found wide application in the national economy. Dextrins are used for the production of adhesives used in various industries, for example, for gluing labels onto containers or for gluing packagings. In the foundry, dextrin is used to bond molding sand, and in light industry, to increase the density of textile paints. Dextrin has also found application in the food industry as the main carrier of food powders and dyes.
Further, upon the cleavage of starch, maltose disaccharide and a simple glucose carbohydrate are formed.
Maltose, consisting of two molecules of glucose,has another name - malt sugar, which is used in distilling and brewing. In nature it is contained in large quantities in germinated grains of cereals, especially a lot of maltose in barley and rye. Pure maltose is manufactured exclusively for laboratory purposes in small quantities.
Starch is a complex carbohydrate and is contained instems and leaves of most plants, it is a nutrient, produce plants in reserve. In food, people have long used starch-rich grains such as rice, wheat, rye and others. Rich in starch and a favorite potato, potato starch is the most popular and common. This substance is one of the most important products for the human body. The digestion of starch by the human digestive system occurs under the influence of enzymes, while the decomposition of the substance begins even in the human mouth. Human saliva, containing the enzyme A-amylase, partially converts starch into maltose.
In the gastric environment, the cleavage of starch is notoccurs in connection with the inactivity of the enzyme A-amylase in the acidic environment of the stomach. That is why the initial thorough chewing of food is of great importance for the further splitting and assimilation of starch by the human body. In the duodenum under the influence of A-amylase, which is contained in the gastric juice, during the cleavage of starch, maltose bis-saccharide is formed. And maltose quickly breaks up into two molecules of glucose, which are absorbed by the human body due to insulin secreted by the pancreas, without which it is impossible to assimilate glucose by the human body. When the starch is broken down, glucose forms, and the process of glucose uptake occurs gradually, which leads to a significant reduction in the load on the pancreas system, hence the consumption of a sufficient amount of vegetable starch in food can serve as a preventive measure of diabetes.
Thus, the final product of the breakdown of starch is glucose, the most famous simple carbohydrate necessary for feeding brain tissue and various human muscles.
Starch is widely used in foodindustry, it is one of their multi-functional auxiliary products. Basically it is used as a part of thickeners and stabilizers to give the products the appropriate kind and texture.
