Starch, the Glue that Holds It All Together
Starches are versatile ingredients used to thicken, stabilize, and smooth baked goods, as well as a wide range of food and non-food products. Derived from natural sources such as corn, potatoes, wheat, and peas, they support clean-label formulations and meet consumer demand for simple, recognisable ingredients.
Starch is a homopolysaccharide composed of glucose units and stored by plants as a carbohydrate reserve. In baking, it is extracted from seeds, tubers, and roots, and plays a vital role in stabilising structure, managing texture, retaining moisture, and ensuring consistent product quality. Industrial starches are widely used as thickeners, stabilisers, gelling agents, binders, diluents, and excipients.
The global industrial starch market stood at USD 94.9 bn in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 130 bn by 2030 (CAGR 5.4 %). Within this, the clean-label and native starch segments are growing fastest, spurred by functional demand in bakery and consumer preferences for transparency. In 2023–24, starch usage in new bakery launches increased by 3% over five years, with clean-label claims particularly strong.
New starch innovations in baking fall into several clear categories: native starches (corn, tapioca) for the clean-label movement; modified/cook-up starches engineered for high-performance texture and stability; waxy potato starches offering gloss and shelf-life in fillings and glazing; resistant starches designed for fiber-boosted, low-GI baked goods; pre-gelatinized pulse starches enhancing gluten-free and plant-based products, and enzyme-modified starches fine-tuning softness and freshness.
Clean‑Label Native Starches
Corn and tapioca starch remain core, with corn featured in 77 % of U.S. bakery launches and tapioca at 15 %. Native starches—unmodified straight from their botanical source—are increasingly chosen for clean-label positioning. As of mid‑2024, native starches dominate the industrial starch segment. Tapioca, in particular, is gaining ground, with launches such as American Key Food’s native tapioca starch in late 2022 tailored for baked goods and snacks.
Modified & Cook‑Up Starches
Ingredient firms are refining starch functionality through new cook-up and modified starches. Ingredion launched NOVATION Indulge 2940, a non‑GMO native corn starch that improves gelling and creaminess in desserts and alternative dairy applications. In August 2024, Roquette introduced four tapioca-based cook-up starches—CLEARAM TR 2010, 2510, 3010, 4010—to offer tailored texturising in complex bakery systems.