Are Modified Starches Genetically Modified?

No. Modified Starches are not genetically modified. 

Modified starches are produced from the same primarily EU-grown non-GMO agricultural raw materials - such as wheat, maize, or starch potatoes - as native starches or any other starch-based ingredient. 

To produce Modified Starches, the starch is modified by treating it by physical, chemical or enzymatic means. It can for example be simply cooked or roasted, or treated with certain specific chemicals, to slightly alter their attributes to better provide certain functional benefits required by a food manufacturer.

A common example of modification can be to help the starch better retain water, which can be useful when food is subjected to extreme temperature changes during cooking, such as microwaving a frozen food, to prevent the food from becoming dry.  

To learn more about how the European starch industry produces its many ingredients, watch our animation taking you through the production process of starch and starch-based ingredients: How Our Ingredients Are Produced

To learn more about Modified Starches, visit the dedicated ingredient page here: Modified Starches