Is Potato Starch Good for You? Pros & Cons of Potato Starch

Potato starch is a fine, white, odorless and tasteless powder, sometimes with a slight yellowness. In general, a substance called starch is a complex type of carbohydrate found in fruits, vegetables, cereals, beans, and nuts. The human body absorbs it perfectly.

The history of Potato starch is closely connected with the history of potatoes. According to a study, the total production of starch (corn, wheat, cassava, and potatoes) was almost 75 million tons.

Starch is a complex carbohydrate that is available in:

• legumes
• cereals
• in nuts
• in fruit
• in vegetables

This powder form is glucose because of the influence of gastric juice, which supplies energy to the body.  It is used in preparing all kinds of gravies, sauces, and jellies.

Nutrition Facts of Starch

Like most high-calorie foods, starch is valuable for a healthy body that spends a lot of calories and needs stable energy. But there are not so many vitamins and minerals in starch (Dupuis & Liu, 2019). It contains:

Minerals

Energy value

Vitamins

Pros of starch

Starch is a twofold product. On the one hand, its composition is a storehouse of energy. On the other hand, it has some cons too. Tan et al. (2015) discusses the following pros first.

Fights against liver disease

Potato Starch can reduce the cholesterol level in the blood and the liver. It has potassium content that allows the body to fight against heart, liver, and kidney diseases. It is also useful for removing excess fluid and detox the body.

Normalizes metabolism

Many scientific studies have proved that starch is beneficial for the human body. It contains vitamin B2, which is good for digestion and metabolic process.

Treat skin diseases

Potato starch is used to treat many epidermis diseases, including wounds, fungal infections, injuries, and bruises. In traditional medicine, starch is used for burns and for healing the skin after surgeries.

The use of potato starch in the beauty industry is also widespread for the preparation of various cosmetics for facial skin.

Useful for a weak body

Glucose is needed to normalize the work of the whole body. Potato starch is a healthy energy drink for people facing physical and mental stress.

Treats allergic rashes

In case of any malfunctions allergic reactions due to the wrong products, a rash appears on the body. The reaction affects the delicate areas of the skin (face, groin, palms). The first pre-medical tool to prevent the spread of the rash is potato starch.

Useful for people with diabetes

A beneficial property of potato starch is its ability to decrease blood sugar levels. The second health advantage of the product is that people with diabetes can even consume buns if you replace flour with starch.

Excellent antiulcer

In traditional medicine, potato starch is used to treat stomach ulcers. Its anti-inflammatory effect reduced pain and prevents the development of other stomach diseases.

Gluten-free

For those who have a gluten allergy or want to avoid the use of gluten, they can consume it because it naturally does not contain gluten.

Useful culinary characteristics

Potato starch has many desirable culinary features, including neutral taste, high astringency, good transparency, great texture, and a minimal tendency to foaming the solution.

Cons of Potato Starch

In addition to the positive feature, potato starch also has some negative ones.

 Low nutrient levels

Potato starch does not contain vitamins or minerals; it contains only one thing that is carbohydrates. Excessive intake of potato starch leads to their deficiency of vitamin and mineral in the body. Various disorders can be noticed e.g, the weakening of the immune system.

Genetic changes

Potato starch has two main parts:

• amylose (20%)
• amylopectin (80%).

Amylose stimulates gelation and considered undesirable.  Genetically modified foods contribute to the risks of cancer, liver disorder, infertility, brain diseases, and genetic mutations.

Potential side effects and allergies

You may face some changes in your digestion (bloating, flatulence) when you start consuming potato starch in your diet. If you are allergic to potato, you should avoid potato starch.

Can starch be given to children

The scope of potato starch in everyday life is extensive and varied. A natural element in potato starch does not harm the health of babies. It is used to make baby food because it:

• protects the baby’s stomach from exposure to organic acids
• Helps digest unfamiliar foods
• helps to eliminate fluid from the body
• protects against possible diarrhea
• promotes brain function

Uses of Potato Starch

If you carefully read the labels of the ingredients, you can see potato starch or potato flour in the following things:

• sweets
• canned soups
• pastries/muffins
• sauces
• salad dressings
• various packaged foods
• grated cheese
• spicy mixes

When interacting with a liquid, potato starch forms a solution of various viscosities, i.e., it turns into a paste. The product has found a wide application in cooking. If the starch powder is poured with warm water, it will swell and increase in volume.

It is added to sauces, gravy, jelly for thickening, and viscosity. Such dishes cannot be stored for a long time; they become cloudy and exfoliate. Very often, when baking confectionery and bakery products, part of the flour or even completely replaced with potato starch. It dramatically improves the structure of the finished product, making it more friable.

Reference

Parovuori, P., Hamunen, A., Forssell, P., Autio, K., & Poutanen, K. (1995). Oxidation of Potato Starch by Hydrogen Peroxide. Starch - Stärke, 47(1), 19-23. doi:10.1002/star.19950470106

Dupuis, J. H., & Liu, Q. (2019). Potato Starch: A Review of Physicochemical, Functional and Nutritional Properties. American Journal of Potato Research, 96(2), 127-138. doi:10.1007/s12230-018-09696-2