Project

Call for Partners | Sustainable Healthy & Functional STARch

Many food products contain starch as a multi-functional ingredient to enhance texture and mouthfeel. However, conventional starches tend to have a high glycaemic index and low fiber content. Moreover, currently available dietary starches offer limited functionality and are produced through energy-intensive processes that lead to unwanted by-products. Enzymatic modification presents a sustainable solution to enhance the functionality of dietary starches for food products.

Enzymatic starch modification offers exciting opportunities to create more functional and sustainable ingredients. By using tailored enzyme blends, starch can be modified under mild conditions, with higher precision and fewer processing steps. This results in lower energy use, reduced waste, and fewer by-products. At Wageningen Food & Biobased Research, early tests have already shown that enzymatic treatment can successfully reduce starch digestibility and fine-tune its molecular structure, two key features for developing next-generation dietary and functional starches. 

The project explores innovative ways to turn both native starches and starch-rich side streams into valuable ingredients with enhanced nutritional and technical performance. We’re testing combinations of enzymes to deliver starches that are not only healthier, by slowing digestion and supporting gut health, but also technically superior in food formulations. Beyond food, there's potential for application in non-food sectors, opening up even broader value. 

We're combining biochemical expertise with data science to understand and predict how enzyme treatments impact starch properties. This integrated approach allows us to design smarter, more targeted processes. And by scaling up to kilogram-level production and assessing economic and environmental impacts, we ensure that solutions developed are practical, cost-effective, and truly sustainable. 

What type of partners are we searching? 

Starch and food manufacturers, biotech & enzyme suppliers who are: 

  • Owning starch-rich side streams and interested in increasing its value
  • Looking for sustainable alternative sources for functional starch in their food applications
  • Looking for sustainable alternative sources for dietary starch in their food applications

The project is for application to the TKI subsidy, a Dutch governmental program sponsoring applied research. Each project requires at least one Dutch company partner, but additional partners from abroad are welcome to join. Granted projects receive 50% subsidy funding. The other 50% is contributed by industry partners, of which up to half (25% of total) may be in-kind.