varieties of corn whose seeds contain little or no amylose and are nearly all amylopectin, which doesn’t form networks as readily as amylose Waxy starches therefore make sauces and gels that resist congealing and separation into a firm solid phase and watery residue, a problem to which high-amylose starches are prone Ingredient manufacturers also use physical and chemical treatments to modify the starch molecules from standard plant varieties They precook and dry starches in various ways to produce powders or granules that readily absorb cold water or disperse in and thicken liquids without requiring cooking And they alter them with chemicals — cross-linking chains to each other, or oxidizing them, or substituting fat-soluble side groups along the chain — to make them less prone to breakdown during cooking, to make them more effective emulsion stabilizers, and to give them other qualities that “native” starches don’t normally have Such starches are listed on ingredient labels as “modified starch.” The Influence of Other Ingredients on Starch Sauces Flavorings: Salt, Sugar, Acid Starch and water are the basis for a sauce’s structure, and most other ingredients have only secondary effects on that structure Salt, acid, and sugar are frequently added for their contributions to flavor Salt slightly lowers the gelation temperature of starch, while sugars increase it Acids in the form of wine or vinegar encourage the fragmentation of starch chains into much shorter lengths, so that starch granules gelate and disintegrate at lower temperatures, and the final product is less viscous for a given amount of starch Root starches are noticeably affected by moderate acidity (a pH lower than 5), while grain ... water are the basis for a sauce’s structure, and most other ingredients have only secondary effects on that structure Salt, acid, and sugar are frequently added for their contributions to flavor Salt slightly lowers the gelation temperature of starch, while sugars increase...starches don’t normally have Such starches are listed on ingredient labels as “modified starch.” The Influence of Other Ingredients on Starch Sauces Flavorings: Salt, Sugar, Acid Starch and water are the basis for a sauce’s structure, and. .. temperature of starch, while sugars increase it Acids in the form of wine or vinegar encourage the fragmentation of starch chains into much shorter lengths, so that starch granules gelate and disintegrate at lower