What is the difference between modified corn starch and corn starch? Is one worse than the other?!
Corn starch has two components, amylose (a straight chain polymer of glucose) and amylopectin (a branched chain polymer of glucose). In nature—for example, in corn—it is found structurally in a granule. Corn starch is “sticky”. But, when you extract the starch from corn and then use it as a food ingredient, it quickly loses that stickiness when heated. And it can cause bakery products to become stale.
How food scientists modify the starch depends on how it will be used. It can be cross-linked (chemically treated to cross-link starch molecules in the granule), for example, so it swells but doesn’t fall apart. Or it can have various derivative units added to it so it doesn’t stale as easily.
I try to avoid "modified corn starch" because it doesn't meet the "rule of 1900" - that is, if a food ingredient didn't exist in 1900 as a food ingredient, it doesn't belong in my body.
But I don't use regular corn starch much, either - basically just for turkey gravy. And it's useful externally to prevent chafing.
Answers: There are probably more than 100 different types of starches available for use as food ingredients, and all have been tweaked in some way through various chemical or physical reactions, to make them more useful. Starches are used for thickening—pudding, gravies, etc.
Corn starch has two components, amylose (a straight chain polymer of glucose) and amylopectin (a branched chain polymer of glucose). In nature—for example, in corn—it is found structurally in a granule. Corn starch is “sticky”. But, when you extract the starch from corn and then use it as a food ingredient, it quickly loses that stickiness when heated. And it can cause bakery products to become stale.
How food scientists modify the starch depends on how it will be used. It can be cross-linked (chemically treated to cross-link starch molecules in the granule), for example, so it swells but doesn’t fall apart. Or it can have various derivative units added to it so it doesn’t stale as easily.
I try to avoid "modified corn starch" because it doesn't meet the "rule of 1900" - that is, if a food ingredient didn't exist in 1900 as a food ingredient, it doesn't belong in my body.
But I don't use regular corn starch much, either - basically just for turkey gravy. And it's useful externally to prevent chafing.
Corn starch breaks down when heated too much, i.e. after it thickens, continued heating makes it thin again. That's why when you make gravy using corn starch as the thickener and reheat it the next day you have to add more corn starch. It also does not stand up well in acidic environments. That's why tomato sauce recipes use flour if a thickener is needed, and why fruit sauce recipes call for tapioca pearls or tapioca flour.
Modified corn starch does not break down with continued heating and it does well in acidic sauces. Like regular cornstarch, it becomes clear when heated with water, so it is preferred when thickening fruit sauces as the sauce will stay transluscent and not mask the fruit's color like flour will.
Modified corn starch is just one of many modified food starches. Food starches are made from the root of casava plants (tapioca); sego lily, sago palm and arrowroot as well as corn. On grocery shelves we don't often see anything other than corn starch and arrow root (found w/ the spices) and tapioca pearls. Tapioca flour can be found in most health food stores. If you read the label on things like pie filling and some sauces you will see "modified corn starch" or "modified food starch" as one of the ingredients. Commercial bakers use modified food starch as a thickener in their pies. Modified food starch is also how the "jelly" in jelly-filled doughnuts and some pastries is thickened, rather than with pectin. A modified pectin that sets w/ a calcium compound rather than sugar (like regular jam/jelly pectin) is sometimes used. [Note; The modified pectin is sold under the brand name POMONA and is good for making jem/jelly w/ no or low sugar or w/ sugar substitutes. It is sold in healthfood stores and some supermarkets, and comes w/ its own calcium compund packet.]
Modified food starches have been in use for more than half a century and no health problems have been associated w/ it's use or even hinted at w/ it's use.