Raw starch does not form a paste with cold water and therefore requires cooking if it is to be used as a food thickening agent. Pregelatinized starch, mostly from maize, has been cooked and dried. Used in instant puddings, pie fillings, soup mixes, salad dressings, sugar confectionery, and as a binder in meat products. Nutritional value is the same as that of the original starch. See also starch, modified.
Subjects: Medicine and Health.