Potato is widely consumed as food all over the world. It contains the starch as a major carbohydrate. Surplus and cull potatoes are used as feed for livestock and also as raw material for the manufacture of starch, ethyl alcohol and a few other industrial products like, dextrose, liquid Glucose etc. The potato contains approximately 18-21% of carbohydrates. The major carbohydrate is starch. This starch comprises 65-80% of the dry weight of the tuber, is calorifically the most important nutritional component. Potato starch is starch extracted from potatoes. The cells of the root tubers of the potato plant contain starch grains (leucoplasts). To extract the starch, the potatoes are crushed; the starch grains are released from the destroyed cells. The starch is then washed out and dried to powder. Potato starch is a very refined starch, containing minimal protein or fat. This gives the powder a clear white color, and the cooked starch typical characteristics of neutral taste, good clarity, high binding strength, long texture and a minimal tendency to foaming or yellowing of the solution. Potato starch contains approximately 800 ppm phosphate bound to the starch; this increases the viscosity and gives the solution a slightly anionic character, a low gelatinization temperature (approximately 140 °F (60 °C)) and high swelling power. Starch is a tasteless, odorless, white amorphous powder, insoluble in water. All green plants store starch as nourishment for the future. Starch is one of the fundamental substances in the vegetable kingdom and is in existence abundantly in the natural world. Uses 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 hydrolysate. It is also used as a thickener in soups and gravies. Pre-gelatinized potato starch is used in considerable quantities in instant puddings, in which its properties are preferable to those of cereal starches. It is used in confectionery industry as a medium for molding cast candies such as jelly beans and gum drops, as a thickening agent in synthetic jellies, for sauces, soups, and stews. Potato starch tolerates higher temperatures than cornstarch when used as a thickener. It's a natural way to add moistness to many baked goods and as a dusting agent mixed with powdered sugar, for candy gums, chewing gums etc. It is also used in producing adhesives and dextrin’s, as a fermentation raw material, binder for tablets, and binder and extender for sausages. Starch derivatives are used in many recipes, for example in noodles, wine gums, cocktail nuts, potato chips, hot dog sausages, bakery and instant soups and sauces, in gluten-free recipes in kosher foods for Passover and in Asian cuisine. In pastry, e.g. sponge cake, it is used to keep the cake moist and give a soft texture. It is also occasionally used in the preparation of pre-packed grated cheese, to reduce sweating and binding. Market Survey Potato is a starch rich material with about 12-25 per cent starch in Indian varieties. In India, production of starch from potatoes is limited due to availability of cheaper sources of starch such as maize and tapioca. The pattern of world potato utilization indicates that over 2.8 per cent potato is used for starch extraction. The enormous amount for waste potatoes available, if used for starch production would not only result in value added products, but will also generate employment and save foreign exchange, it will also reduce cost of starch production from potatoes. The global starch consumption is expected to grow from 13.6 million tons in 2012 to 16.28 million tons by 2017, at an estimated CAGR of 3.5% from 2012 to 2017. The North America region is expected to continue its dominance on the global modified starch consumption, however, due to the increasing impact for demand of convenience health food, functional food, and the need to focus on alternate sources of starch, the Asian sub-continent is expected to drive the growth of the industry for the next few years. China and India are the leaders in the APAC market, driving the demand for modified starch because of the changing lifestyles and growing economies, boosting the need for convenience food sector. A second large consumer of starch hydrolysis products is the fermentation industry. Many fermentation processes run on starch hydrolysate. This is partly for cost reasons and partly because the organisms in use have been trained to prefer glucose to saccharose. The only exception is yeast, which traditionally grows best in molasses. Markets for virtually all fermentation-derived products, whether they are penicillin based, citric acids or amino acids, expand at high rates and add to the demand for starch hydrolysis products. Minor applications of starch syrups include their use in the manufacturing of sugar alcohols, particularly of Sorbitol; low calorie content and high degree of sweetness make sorbitol ideal for a number of different foods. Overall, the markets for starches and derivatives are expected to expand on a global scale at a substantial rate. Few Indian Major Players are as under Amaravati Agro Ltd. Bharat Starch Inds. Ltd. E I C L Ltd. Gayatri Bioorganics Ltd. Gujarat Ambuja Proteins Ltd. Gulshan Polyols Ltd. Hindustan Maize Products Ltd. Indian Maize & Chemicals Ltd. International Bestfoods Ltd. Jayant Vitamins Ltd. K G Gluco Biols Ltd. Kamala Sugar Mills Ltd. Laxmi Starch Ltd. Origin Agrostar Ltd. Rai Agro Inds. Ltd. Riddhi Siddhi Gluco Biols Ltd. Santosh Starch Ltd. Santosh Starch Products Ltd. Sayaji Industries Ltd. Starch & Chemicals Ltd. Sukhjit Starch & Chemicals Ltd. Tan India Ltd. Tirupati Starch & Chemicals Ltd. Unicorn Organics Ltd. Unique Sugars Ltd. Universal Starch-Chem Allied Ltd. Wockhardt Health Care Ltd.
