Starch

Starch being Applied to a Plywood Veneer

Starch is the principal carbohydrate reserve of plants. Corn starch currently is a primary feedstock for starch-based ethanol, plastics, loose-fill packing material, adhesives, and other industrial products. Approximately 600 million bushels of corn were used for the production of industrial products during the marketing year 1995 to 1996; of that total, 395 million bushels were used to produce fuel ethanol (ERS, 1996b). While the supply of corn starch has been sufficient to meet current demands, primarily anhydrous motor fuel grade and industrial ethanol, other supplies of sugar feedstocks are being evaluated to meet anticipated increases in demand for oxygenated fuels and chemicals.