By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
Alternative names: pregelatinized modified starch; pregelatinized food starch; modified starch; instant starch; soluble starch; pregel/prejel starch
Commercial source: plant (corn, tapioca, potato, wheat)
Used in: dry mixes (soups, sauces, etc.), baby food/formula, fruit juice, baked goods, hot cereals, potato products, salad dressings, gravies, pharmaceuticals
Used for: thickening, stabilizing, retaining moisture (in foods); binding, filling or disintegratng (in tablets)
Definition: Prepared from starch or flour, pregelatinized starch easily dissolves in cold liquids eliminating a heating step in manufacturing and becoming viscous like gelatin. It is widely used in foods and pharmaceuticals and also in several other industries including mining/drilling, construction and textiles.
Major Manufacturers:
https://www.tateandlyle.com/ingredient/mira-gel-starch
Tate & Lyle wrote in an email: “I can assure you that no gelatin is used in the production of our prejel starches…Our T&L products are vegan and vegetarian.”
https://www.cargill.com/pharmaceutical/pharma-products/starches
Further information:
http://www.jpharmsci.org/article/S0022-3549(15)00249-X/pdf
https://www.colorcon.com/products-formulation/all-products/excipients/tablets/starch-1500
http://www.grainprocessing.com/industrial-starch-products/pregelatinized-starches.html
http://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/modified-starch
Classification: Vegan
Entry added: December 2017
For information on other ingredients, see http://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php
The contents of this posting, our website, and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgement about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.