Environmental Impact of Biopolymers
As a biopolymer, starch is predominantly made from excess glucose in plants. Therefore, there is no manufacturing for the production of starch, making it highly environmentally friendly.
However starch must be manufactured in order for it to be useful as a product. Extraction of starch from potatoes: After separation of potato juice the pulp is directed to the washing starch station, to isolate the starch. Most used are stream-oriented washers. In these machines pulp diluted with water is washed with a strong stream of water to flush out the milk starch. The mash smuggling with water is a waste product – dewatered potato pulp. Starch milk is contaminated by small fiber particles (potato tissue fragments) and the remaining components of the potato juice – that is why it is called raw starch milk. The usage of raw starch is relatively small. Starch is mainly used as material both in the manufacture of food and non-food products. In food processing a lot of starch is converted to starch hydrolysates. Starch is mainly made into potato starch, and the main waste product is potato pulp. |