Method of making agglomerated and thermally inhibited starch

Abstract

Methods for preparing thermally inhibited starch agglomerates are disclosed. Thermally inhibited starch agglomerates prepared by this method provide a higher viscosity over thermally inhibited starches that are not agglomerated but are thermally inhibited in the same manner as the thermally inhibited starch agglomerates.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method of increasing the viscosity of thermally inhibited starch comprising:
 forming starch agglomerates comprising a starch binding agent and starch granules,   dehydrating the starch agglomerates to anhydrous or substantially anhydrous, and   heat treating the anhydrous or substantially anhydrous starch agglomerates at a temperature of about 100° C. to about 200° C. for up to about 20 hours thereby thermally inhibiting the starch agglomerates.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the starch binding agent is formed by at least partially solubilizing a starch. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the starch binding agent is formed by at least partially solubilizing in a buffer, thereby rendering the solubilized starch binding agent substantially neutral or slightly alkaline prior to mixing with the starch granules. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to any of  claims 1  to  3 , wherein the starch binding agent is at least partially gelatinized. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to any of  claims 1  to  4 , wherein the starch binding agent and the starch granules are derived from the same native starch. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to any of  claims 1  to  4 , wherein the starch binding agent and the starch granules are derived from different native starches. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to any of  claims 1  to  6 , wherein the starch binding agent is derived from a modified starch. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein the modified starch is an enzymatically modified starch. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein the modified starch is a chemically modified starch. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to any of  claims 1  to  9 , wherein the starch granules are native starch granules. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to any of  claims 1  to  10 , wherein the starch granules are waxy starch granules. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to any of  claims 1  to  11  further comprising dispersing the starch granules in a buffer, thereby rendering the starch granules substantially neutral or slightly alkaline, prior to mixing with the starch binding agent. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to any of  claims 1  to  12 , wherein the amount of starch binding agent is about 0.05 wt % to about 50.0%, based on the weight of the starch granules. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to any of  claims 1  to  13 , further comprising adjusting the pH of the agglomerates to from 7.0 to 9.5 prior to heat treating. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to any of  claims 1  to  14 , wherein the thermally inhibited starch agglomerates have a higher viscosity than that of thermally inhibited, non-agglomerated, starch granules derived from the same starch as the granules in the starch agglomerates, the thermally inhibited starch granules and thermally inhibited starch agglomerates having been thermally inhibited under the same conditions. 
     
     
         16 . An agglomerated starch obtained according to the method of any of  claims 1  to  15 . 
     
     
         17 . A food product comprising the agglomerated starch according to  claim 16 .