ABSTRACT
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Starch is the most abundant chemical component associated with cereal grains and, historically, man has extracted this constituent for at least 20 centuries due to its functionality, economic value, and nutritional attributes. Nowadays, one of the most significant industrial uses of cereal grains, especially maize (Zea mays L.), is as feedstock for the manufacture of refined starches. Starch is a renewable resource and is a mainstay of food-and nonfood-related industries. The food industry employs native starch to produce an array of syrups and sweeteners, as well as modified starches that serve as important food additives. The nonfood uses are mainly for the production of adhesives, paper, textiles, bioplastics, and ethanol fuel. The industry has learned to optimally mill the different kinds of cereals, which differ in pericarp and endosperm structures, and the association between starch granules and the protein matrix. The various types of wet milling industries aim toward the extraction of the maximum possible amount of native or undamaged starch granules. The processes are designed to efficiently take cereals apart and purify their components, which are then used as key ingredients in the food, feed, and nonfood industries. By far, maize is the main source of refined starch worldwide because of its availability, relatively low cost, high starch content (>65%), and the value of its coproducts (steep solids, germ, bran, and gluten). In contrast with the various dry milling industries which separate the grain anatomical parts wet millers separate the kernels’ chemical compounds (starch, gluten, oil, and fiber).
