What Is Wheat Starch?

What is wheat starch?

Wheat starch is a native food starch obtained by separating gluten from wheat flour. The same process yields two valuable products: vital wheat gluten and wheat starch. The granule structure is dual; large A granules (15–35 µm) and small B granules (2–10 µm) coexist. Gelatinisation temperature, at 52–64 °C, is lower than corn or rice.

How is it produced?

Wheat flour is made into a dough with water; washing the dough collects the gluten network while the starch passes into suspension. The suspension can be separated by centrifuge into A and B granule fractions, washed and dried. A granules are purer and whiter; B granules can carry protein and pentosan residues and often go to fermentation or feed applications.

Applications

Pastry creams and custards, biscuits and crackers, ready sauces and soups, frozen pastry, binder in meat products, confectionery, and non-food uses in paper and textiles. In food applications its soft, short-textured gel stands out.

Residual gluten and labelling

Wheat starch can contain residual gluten. Grades purified below 20 ppm may be declared as "gluten-free wheat starch" in some markets; this must be confirmed by lot-specific analysis. Because wheat requires an allergen declaration, labelling must follow target market regulations.

Technical properties and quality criteria

Check starch content, moisture, protein/residual gluten, ash, pH, whiteness, viscosity profile, A/B granule ratio, microbiological values and allergen statement.

Sourcing from PERDIST

Native wheat starch is not in PERDIST's standard catalogue, which carries modified wheat starch. Sourcing for the native grade is researched on request. Write with your application, residual gluten expectation and monthly volume and we present suitable sources with documents in a written quotation.

Frequently asked questions