Starch is amazingly versatile and found in many kinds of foods in your supermarket. Discover which agricultural raw materials are used to make starch-based ingredients, why they are used and what role they play in our diets!
Why are plant-based proteins important?
What is resistant starch?
Does starch contain fibre?
Is starch only used in food?
Are added sugars worse for my health than naturally occurring ones?
The starch story
Starch is a natural carbohydrate found in many grains and vegetables.
In Europe, the starch used in our food usually comes from wheat, maize or potatoes, but it can also be found in many other plants including rice, peas, pulses, manioc, sweet potatoes and bananas.
Starch is simply the energy store in a plant’s roots or seeds which they use for new growth in the next season.
Starch as an ingredient is used in thousands of different foods we consume every day. In fact, starch is the most common carbohydrate in the human diet and is an essential source of energy for our brains and muscles.