Cornstarch

See also: starch - rice starch - corn starch - wheat starch - potato starch

What is that

Corn starch is a multifaceted food product, just like the shape of the granules that make it up.

By observing it under a microscope, it is in fact possible to recognize particles with fairly uniform dimensions (20/30 μm) and polyhedral in shape, with rounded corners and sometimes with a radiated central slot.

Properties and Uses

Corn starch, also known as maizena, is the cheapest flour that exists; when combined with water, it increases in volume, swelling and increasing the consistency of the product; for this reason, by examining the ingredients of common food products, we notice the omnipresence of corn starch, often followed by the modified adjective (its chemical structure is modified, by means of acids or enzymes, to enhance particular characteristics).

Amylose and Amylopectin

The properties of corn starch in fact depend on the amylose and amylopectin content, which in the original product are present in percentages of 30 and 70% respectively.

• Amylose, a linear polymer of glucose, is less digestible, takes better cooking and is responsible for the stale process at the end of cooking.
• Amylopectin, a branched polymer of glucose, is instead more easily digestible, has a higher glycemic index and during cooking tends to gelatinize and escape from the product, making it sticky and viscous.

Nutritional characteristics

The characteristics of amylopectin are highly sought after by the agro-food industry, which not by chance has led to the selection of the so-called «Waxy» corn (also called waxy corn), practically devoid of amylose. This type of corn is usually used to thicken fruit jellies and to add texture to canned or frozen foods. In the labels it is mentioned under the heading "corn starch".

Unfortunately, as anticipated, the glycemic index of this product is very high (almost equal to 100); poor nutritional value, given the absence of vitamins and mineral salts, high glycemic index and high caloric power, make this corn starch a sort of food for humans, ideal for making them gain weight in the shortest possible time. Not only that, if we take for example a yogurt or fruit juice adulterated with corn starch, these will be poorer than their original nutrients, since this additive allows you to save on the quality and quantity of the basic ingredient. , cheeses and for many other processed products.

Production

Corn starch is obtained from the grains of the homonymous plant (Zea mays), placing the kernels in a solution of sulfur dioxide. The softened grains are then subjected to a cycle of grinding, from which a suspension formed by starch, heavier, and gluten, lighter, is obtained, which are separated by centrifugation. First, however, it is necessary to extract the oil-bearing embryos, used for the production of corn oil.

The last phase of the production process consists in drying and reducing the starch to dust.

Celiac disease

Precisely due to the absence of gluten, corn starch is indicated for the diet of celiacs, replacing the poorly tolerated wheat flour. However, unless the product is marked with a barred ear, the risk of contamination of the "corn starch with wheat gluten is however present, due to the promiscuity of many production plants of the food industry.

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