Cornstarch

Name:
Cornstarch
Detailed information:
A carbohydrate polymer derived from corn of various types, composed of 25% amylose and 75% amylopectin. A white powder that swells in water, it is the most widely used starch in the U.S. The so-called waxy variety (made from waxy corn) contains only branched amylopectin molecules. Its chief uses are as a source of glucose, in the food industry as a filler in baking powder and a thickening agent in various food products, and in adhesives and coatings. It has been proposed as an additive to plastics to promote rapid degradation in such products as bottles and waste containers.See Starch.