Waxy potato starch
Encyclopedia
Waxy potato starch is a new species of starch
Starch
Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store...

 only containing amylopectin
Amylopectin
Amylopectin is a soluble polysaccharide and highly branched polymer of glucose found in plants. It is one of the two components of starch, the other being amylose.Glucose units are linked in a linear way with α glycosidic bonds...

 molecules, extracted from new potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...

 varieties. Standard starch extracted from traditional potato varieties contains both amylose
Amylose
Amylose is a linear polymer made up of D-glucose units.This polysaccharide is one of the two components of starch, making up approximately 2-30% of the structure...

 and amylopectin.

Waxy potato starch, when gelatinized
Starch gelatinization
Starch gelatinization is a process that breaks down the intermolecular bonds of starch molecules in the presence of water and heat, allowing the hydrogen bonding sites to engage more water. This irreversibly dissolves the starch granule...

, has a clearer film, a stickier paste and retrogradates
Retrogradation (starch)
Retrogradation is a reaction that takes place in gelatinized starch when the amylose and amylopectin chains realign themselves, causing the liquid to gel....

 (thickening of starch film or paste during storage) less compared to regular potato starch
Potato starch
Potato starch is starch extracted from potatoes. The cells of the root tubers of the potato plant contain starch grains . To extract the starch, the potatoes are crushed; the starch grains are released from the destroyed cells...

. Waxy potato starch derivatives
Modified
Modified may refer to:*Modified , the second full-length album by Save Ferris*Modified racing, or "Modifieds", an American automobile racing genre...

 are used in textile sizing and food applications.

Two types of potato plant varieties are developed using different methods: one using traditional breeding techniques and another using genetic manipulation
Genetic engineering
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...

 (GMO).

Amylopectin potato (traditional breeding)

Through traditional breeding techniques an amylose-free mutant was obtained without genetic manipulation. Since 2005 the first natural potato variety Eliane is being cultivated and marketed by the starch company AVEBE
AVEBE
The cooperative AVEBE U.A. is an international Dutch starch manufacturer located in the north of the Netherlands and produces starch products based on potato starch and potato protein for use in food, animal feed, paper, construction, textiles and adhesives.About 3000 farmers are member of AVEBE...

.

Amylopectin potato (genetically modified)

Genetically modified amylopectin potato varieties have been developed. As genetic engineering is a controversial public opinion topic, commerciallisation remains difficult. However, in March 2010, EFSA allowed BASF
BASF
BASF SE is the largest chemical company in the world and is headquartered in Germany. BASF originally stood for Badische Anilin- und Soda-Fabrik . Today, the four letters are a registered trademark and the company is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, London Stock Exchange, and Zurich Stock...

 to commercialized the variety Amflora
Amflora
Amflora is a genetically modified potato owned by BASF Plant Science. Amflora was approved for industrial applications in the European Union market on 2 March 2010 by the European Commission.-History:...

 within the EU.

A point of criticism of GMOs is the use of genetic engineering techniques to imprecisely perform horizontal gene transfer. For the GM-amylopectin potato only potato DNA from other cultivars is transferred in as a transgene
Transgene
A transgene is a gene or genetic material that has been transferred naturally or by any of a number of genetic engineering techniques from one organism to another....

. Some organizations call genetic modification, using foreign, but related transgenes cisgenesis
Cisgenesis
Cisgenesis, sometimes also called Intragenesis, is a product designation for a category of genetically engineered plants. A variety of classification schemes have been proposed , that order genetically modified organisms based on the nature of introduced genotypical changes rather than the process...

.

Waxy potato varieties

The term "waxy potato" refers also to potato varieties which stay firm after cooking and retain their shape (boiling potato). Waxy potatoes have lower starch content (16-18%) than floury potatoes.

External links

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