ABSTRACT
Many plants store carbohydrate reserves in the form of starch in organs modified in various ways to accommodate it. Many of these organs have become important foods. In some societies, especially the developing countries of the tropics, they have become the staple food, while in more prosperous societies they have a less important role as vegetables. Most commercial starch is produced from maize, but the similarity between starches and the ability of the chemist to tailor starches means that the market for a given starch is constantly changing in response to market and even political forces. The potato tuber is the world’s leading starchy vegetable. Relatively small amounts of potatoes are used as starch because it cannot normally be produced at a price competitive with maize starch. Cassava is the most important starchy root crop of the tropics.
