Everyday Uses

From morning until evening, starch and its derivatives are used in many everyday products: food and beverages, medicine, toothpaste, cosmetics, paper, polish, building materials and the long list goes on.

Constant Development

The art of starch extraction was known in ancient history, our ancestors knew it and obtained it by mixing together wheat and barley. The Greek scientist, Dioscoride, (1st Century BC) talked about it as a substance employed for medicine and use at home. The manufacture of starch was given to the Romans and other Europeans and the process they taught, in order to extract cereals, remained the same until the middle of the last century. The wet technique of maize starch extraction was developed at the end of the 19th Century mainly in the USA while potato starch was developed in Europe.

Today starch manufacture is the subject of extensive research. One of the first reasons for the success of starch products is their wide availability and renewable and biodgradable characteristics. Another is their adaptability and their capacity for innovation. Creation of new products and applications is a constant challenge for us to be able to address customers’ needs with respect for the environment.

 

In Europe a starch factory consumes between
1,000 and 2,000 tonnes of cereals each day.