The role of modified food starches in baby food

Modified food starches were developed as a stabilizer, suspending the food particles and providing a desirable consistency, texture, and storage ability. They are used primarily in strained and junior foods and to a minor extent in infant formulas. This review discusses modified food starches because of four principal concerns. The first relates to the bioavailability of the starch itself. The second is the potential that indigestible starch may have for producing diarrheal symptoms, malabsorption, and changes in gastrointestinal flora. The third is the possibility that modified food starches might be implicated in gastrointestinal disease like Crohn's ileocolitis. The fourth is the toxicological effect of the chemicals used to modify the starch and their possible mutagenic and carcinogenic properties.