Versión en Español BIOREFINERY PLATFORMS Concept - Starch serves the plants as a reserve food supply. It is manufactured from excess glucose produced during photosynthesis. It is found in maize, wheat, potato, rice, barley and many other plants. - Starch is a complex polysaccharide made up of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. The basic chemical formula of the starch molecule is (C6H10O5)n. It consists of two types of molecules: the linear amylose (20-25% by weight) and the branched amylopectin (75-80% by weight). - Pure starch is a soft, white, tasteless and odourless powder that is insoluble in cold water or alcohol. - The starch industry extracts and refines starches from seeds, roots and tubers, by wet grinding, washing, sieving and drying. After harvesting, feedstocks are cleaned and grinded into pulp. The starch slurry and juice are then separated. The juice is further processed to produce proteins and concentrated fruit juice. Starch slurry is...