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Why is starch the most common food ingredient in the world? The story of starch from ancient times to modern times!
Starch, as the most common carbohydrate in the human diet, plays a key role in both daily diet and industrial processes. From ancient times to the present, the history of starch has not only witnessed changes in human diet, but also reflected the evolution of agriculture and industry. How did this ingredient, which has been constantly evolving for centuries, come to dominate the global diet?
Chemical structure of starch
Starch is a polymeric carbohydrate composed of multiple glucose units linked by glycosidic bonds. It contains two main molecules: amylose and amylopectin.
Starch mainly comes from the energy storage of green plants, but its sources come from a wide range of sources, including major food crops such as wheat, potatoes, corn, rice and cassava. Depending on the type of plant, starch generally consists of 20% to 25% amylose and 75% to 80% amylopectin. Since it is tasteless, odorless and insoluble in cold water, starch has a wide range of applications, both in the food industry and in industrial manufacturing.
The history of starch
As early as 30,000 years ago, European grindstones had discovered the existence of starch granules. As for the grinding stones from Mozambique, they date back to 100,000 years ago.
The ancient Egyptians used the extracted starch to bind sedge, and the Roman Empire found use in cosmetics and seasonings. Rice starch has been used to surface treat paper since 700 in China, while laundry starch was first described in England in the 15th century. These historical footprints show the importance of starch in various cultures, closely linked with the evolution of botany and cooking techniques.
Energy storage in plants
Plants convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose through photosynthesis, and then store the excess glucose as starch in preparation for future growing seasons.
The storage properties of starch allow it to provide continuous energy as plants grow. Young plants rely on stored energy in their roots, seeds and fruits until they find suitable growing soil. Starch is not only the plant's primary energy storage form, it is also a compound that is critical to the growth cycle.
Industrial applications of modern starch
As industry developed, starch was used to produce a variety of products including beer, whiskey and biofuels.
Global starch production has continued to grow in recent years. In 2017, the United States produced approximately 27.5 million tons of starch, while the starch industry in the European Union also produced approximately 11 million tons in the same year. Starch is widely used as a thickener and stabilizer in the food industry, and plays an important role in making pasta and other foods. In addition, starch can also be converted into various sugars, such as maltodextrin and fructose syrup.
The importance of starch in diet
Starch is considered the most important carbohydrate in the global human diet, and its main sources include cereals such as rice, wheat and corn, and root vegetables such as potatoes and cassava.
Starch consumption not only affects the global diet, but also has a profound impact on health and metabolism. When people's diets contain large amounts of processed starchy foods, their digestion rate is accelerated, causing the body to absorb energy faster in the small intestine, which is closely related to the current increase in metabolic diseases. Nowadays, starch is further subdivided into immediately digestible starch, slowly digestible starch and non-digestible starch, which all help us understand its different effects on health.
Future challenges of starch
With the advancement of food technology, the application scope of starch continues to expand, but it also brings hidden concerns about health risks.
Whether it is possible to balance the dietary health and food processing challenges brought by starch while pursuing effective ingredients is still a major issue facing the scientific community and food engineers today. With future technological innovations, starch applications may redefine its role in our lives. Given current dietary trends and health concerns, how will our understanding of starch impact our lifestyle and dietary choices in the future?
