Preston starch is a natural, high-quality product obtained from potatoes, tapioca or cassava (a root vegetable growing in Asia, analogous to potatoes), used for making jelly, sauces, and ketchup.
The white, tasteless powder that squeaks during compression is starch. We come across the aforementioned product in culinary and cosmetic recipes quite often, so it is difficult to overestimate its properties. According to its origin, starch is divided into several types: the most common is potato, then wheat, rice, corn and sago. There is corn starch – light, giving a cloudy solution (therefore, it is used to prepare milk jelly) and rarely used – tapioca (a root vegetable growing in Asia, an analogue of potatoes).
All of these species are important in the digestive chain, since for the human body, starch, along with sucrose, is the main supplier of carbohydrates – one of the most important components of food. Under the action of enzymes, starch is hydrolyzed to glucose, which is oxidized in cells to carbon dioxide and water with the release of energy necessary for a living organism’s functioning. Potato starch is most common in cooking and cosmetology. Moreover, it is quite in demand in pharmacology, being the basis of ointments, tablets, powders and other drugs. Starch contains dietary fibre, carbohydrates, proteins, phosphorus, calcium and PP vitamins. Due to its astringent, enveloping and emollient properties, it is used to treat the gastrointestinal tract: it envelops the stomach walls, relieving inflammation and reducing the negative effects of medications. Also, starch is used to reduce pain and itching in burns, skin diseases and dermatitis, in therapeutic and prophylactic masks for the face and hair. With the internal intake of starch, there is a decrease in cholesterol levels and stabilization of blood pressure, and jelly, based on it, is the main dish in dietary nutrition.
Nutritional value per 100g of product:
- Proteins, g …………………………………0.0
- Fats, g ……………………………………….0.0
- Carbohydrates, g ………………………79.3
- Energy value, kcal …………………… 317
- Expiration date, months …………….24