How To Make Wheat Starch? (A Comprehensive Guide)

One of the key components of wheat grain is wheat starch, which is used in various culinary methods as the main ingredient for puffing, shaping, thickening, or enhancing texture. Wheat endosperm includes about 70% starch; thus, grain quality affects the final white powder. Wheat starch is the remaining carbohydrate base after the separation of gluten. Whether you’re a manufacturer, a contributor, a home cook, or a passionate culinary student, you are looking for a practical and total introduction to wheat starch manufacturing.

In this article, we’ll dive into the traditional and industrial process of wheat starch production and give a simple but complete comparison. Also, we’ll represent the efficiency of equipment in this process. Let’s see what’s the basics of homemade methods in the following section.

Select the starchiest wheat grain for starch extraction, then pre-clean it to remove impurities. The next part is making a dough by mixing water and flour. To ease the process, use a mixer to knead the dough and water to get ready for washing and separation sections. Once it gets all washed and three initial matters (gluten and A/B starch content) are separated, it’s time to dry and powder it to starch texture. Finally, pack it in vacuum-sealed packaging!

What Exactly Is Wheat Starch? And What Is Used For?!

Wheat starch is a white powder made from the endosperm of wheat grains. provides the world’s population with calories and protein (Source: National Library of Medicine) and has a high amylopectin content which is a good opportunity to thicken and achieve a uniform, glossy, or gel-like finish by liquefying. Also, due to its neutral taste and odorless scent, it can be useful in both savory and sweet dishes.

As we discussed before, starch plays a practical role in cooking and baking. Here are the most important components of wheat starch that may influence the stability, smoothness, and final result:

Binding: starches reinforce to hold and act like glue for patty base foods like burgers, meatballs, or pate (veggie or meaty). This also helps the stable structure of recipes.
Thickening: starches are mainly made for their ability to thicken. As we mix it with liquid and heat it constantly to gain such absorbed, gel-like qualities which will make the sauces, soups, and stews in a desirable consistency.
Glazing: starches are one of the main ingredients in making shiny glaze sauces in modern pastries or fried duck as an Asian savory dish.

Moreover, stabilization, temperature consistency, gluten-free alternative, gelatinization, and helping the texture and mouthfeel are other characteristics worth mentioning and utilize this valuable powder more often!

DIY Wheat Starch Production (A Step-By-Step Guide to Traditional Wheat Starch Extraction)

Ready to make your own homemade wheat starch? It’s easier than you think. According to an article published in Science Direct, The lower gelatinization temperature of wheat starch gives it an advantage over corn starch. So, just follow this recipe till you have a bag of that store-bought white powdery starch:

Ingredients: Water, Wheat Flour, a Bowl, and Cheesecloth or 80 Mesh Sieve

1. Dough making

Use a 2:1 ratio of flour and water to make a soft dough, then cover it with a clean and thick cloth, till it gets smooth, and not gluey and let it rest for 1-2 hours at room temperature or so.

2. Dough Washing

When the dough is proofed, it’s time to wash it till it gets rid of the gluten. Pour a proper amount of water (about 4 times your dough size) , repeat mixing it with both hands and dissolve it into the water.

Pro Tip: Pour out the water when it gets thick, and replace it with clean water. (repeat this step four times)

3. Dewatering And sedimentation

At this point, pass the washed water through your cheesecloth or an 80-mesh sieve, then let it settle for at least 12 hours.

4. Decanting And Drying

After getting rid of the upper layer of clean water, move the mixture into a tray or container and take it to a sunny place or low-temperature oven. Let it dry or semi-dry to cut it into small pieces to ease the drying process.

Additional point: You can use a blender to make a powdery starch after it gets completely dried and keep it in an airtight container or bag.

Ease Your Usage by Making “Wheat Starch Paste”

Another way to use it easily which boosts the shelf-life is preparing what starch paste, we’ll provide you with an easy-to-follow recipe:

Mixing the ingredients: Pour a part of your starch with 4 parts of cold water into a saucepan, then mix them to get rid of any lumps!
Cooking The Mixture: Put the saucepan on a medium-heat and stir it constantly to avoid burning or irregular curds. Go for a circular motion till the mixture starts to simmer and get a jelly-like and creamy texture.
Cooling: When the paste is cooked and turns into a thick white-bright paste it’s time to transform it to the clean and dry container and cover it with a plastic wrap.
Purifying: After cooling the paste, message and pass it through a traditional horse-hair sieve or a regular one, then collect the remaining sticky paste.

Shelf-Life Tip: Keep the paste in a container (whether made of glass, plastic, or ceramic). It will remain for 3 days at room temperature, and if you store it in the fridge it takes up to a week or more. Remember for each usage pass the spoonful of paste through a sieve for better melting and mixing!

Step	Process Description	Ratio/conditions
Mixing	Combine wheat starch with cold water, stirring to remove lumps.	Starch:Water = 1:4
Cooking	Heat on medium, stirring continuously until it thickens.	Stir constantly to avoid lumps.
Cooling	Let the paste cool before storing. Pass through a sieve for smooth texture.	Shelf-life: 3 days at room temp, 7+ days in fridge

Industrial Wheat Starch Production Process

Unlike the traditional method of starch making, industrial productions are normally followed by many automatic machineries. Here is a step-by-step guide to how manufacturers produce this white gold with help from modern systems:

1. Raw Material Selection and Pre-Cleaning

This process starts with selecting the starchiest wheat grains which include at least 70% of starch base (Source: Crespel & Deiters). Then they undergo a sifting process to remove Impurities such as stones or dust through vibrating screens.

2. Wheat Flour and Water Suitable Ratio

As a beginning to the Martin process, wheat flour, with a specific size of 100-150 μm, is mixed with water at a ratio of 1:2 or 1:3. At this step a jet feed mixer and a downstream ripening tank will help us to achieve an even dough or a sticky slurry.

3. Automated Gluten Separation

The key part of starch extraction is the martin process, which involves kneading the dough into water to separate the gluten by using wet screening.

Additional Tip: the ratio of water-to-dough in the water bath should be 4:1 and the washing cycle should be repeated 4-6 times.

4. Continuous Washing & Filtration

At this step, the continuous batter process plays a key role through several repeated washing cycles for reducing the gluten content by adding fresh water constantly. This section also included the three-phase-separator process:

A-Starch Processing and Fiber Separation: To the washing method, fine fibers are separated from the starch batter by aiding from centrifugal sieves. Then, the pure A-starch is washed with fresh water to generate the perfect starch purity.
The Process of Discharging the Vital Gluten: The gluten fraction is separated from the B-starch by multi-stage operation of the curved screens. With this process, the gluten paste is almost separated, dewatered, and ready for drying and further usage.
Final Station: Separation Of A- And B-Starch: The A-starch content is easily separated from B-starch by using the Hydrocyclones which contain a 10-15 mm diameter and 5-7 bar pressure and split the granules based on size and thickening power. Temperature and pH rate are two other important factors that affect the separation.

With washing the batter below 40°C and pH 6.5 – 7.0, with a 2:3 yield ratio of B- and A-starch, the A-starch will remain in the underflow, while the B-starch is kept off the overflow stream.

5. Drying System (Flash Dryers, Vacuum)

These three main contents (A-starch, B-starch, and vital wheat gluten) are dewatered to 40% moisture by using vacuum belt filters. The starch bases go through the flash dryers with hot air streams or vacuum dryers which are practically used for heat-sensitive B-starch preservation.

Pro Tip: Remember, flash dryers are likely to gelatinize the starch, then pass the starch for 2-5 seconds. Also, to prevent harming the protein content, dry the vital wheat gluten at lower temperature as starches (Source: SiccaDania).

6. Sieving and Packaging Systems

After the A-starch and B-starch are dried, it’s time to pass them through 100-200 mesh sieves to achieve such a uniform and powdery finish. Vital wheat gluten is sieved at 80 mesh sieves for a stable and grainy final result.

All the product goes for packaging process which contains moisture-barrier and oxygen-sealed bags to avoid any spoilage or harmful factors.

What Equipment Is Used in Industrial Wheat Starch Production?

Dough Mixers and Washers: For the martin process, you should look for powerful mixers with 500–1000-liter capacity which can knead the dough at high speeds.

Separation Tanks: According to Intelligen, batter process tanks which use brand-new mechanical agitators turn the 4-6 hours starch settling to 2-3 hours.

Centrifuges or Hydrocyclone Units: By using high-speed and stainless-steel centrifuges and Hydrocyclones, you will successfully separate the A/B starch.

Industrial Dryers: Flash dryers mainly dry the starch, while preventing gelatinization and destroying the viscosity content of final starch.

Control Systems & Automation: To control all the processes easily, you need a flawless PLS system which monitors all the conditions to gain that remarkable result!

YasminTrading’s Processing Lines

YasminTrading offers a well-designed processing line which meets the customized customer’s needs and preferred scale. Our team assures you that each stage of the production system will be covered by our turnkey solutions, from selection of raw materials to packaging and shelf-life conditions.

Homemade vs Industrial Wheat Starch Production Process : A Comparison Table

As you’ve learned, there are many differences between traditional and industrial methods of starch making. So, let us represent these varieties through an understandable table:

Factor	Homemade Production	Industrial Production
Scale	Small-scale, personal use	Large-scale, commercial use
Ingredients	Wheat flour, water	Wheat flour, water (large quantities)
Process Time	12-24 hours	Continuous processing
Equipment Used	Bowl, cheesecloth, sieve	Mixers, separators, centrifuges, hydrocyclones, dryers
Yield	Low, based on manual separation	High, optimized for efficiency
Purity	Lower, may contain traces of gluten	High, with precise separation
Storage	Airtight container	Packaged and processed for distribution
Cost Efficiency	Low cost, but time-intensive	High initial investment, but efficient for large production
Application	Cooking, DIY, crafts	Food processing, pharmaceuticals, industrial uses

When To Scale from Manual to Industrial

Based on your production goals and strategy planning, manufacturers may decide to expand their territory to fulfill the customers’ demand. If you’re facing these issues below, it seems you should scale from Manual to industrial manufacturing.

Timing: If you’re spending many hours on a small scale and still can’t meet the demand, you should go for industrial methods which include automatic systems for making thousands of kilograms in less hours.
Purity: In manual method, wastes the remaining gluten, while the purification process is incompleted. At this point hydro cyclone units will separate the A/B starch perfectly and improve the final result
Cost Efficiency: At first sight, modern machinery is such expensive equipment for small batches, but if the manufacturers face increasing demand, they might be considering this high-efficient system as well.

components	Manual Production	Industrial Production
Production Volume	Low, suitable for home/craft use	High, commercial-scale output
Time Efficiency	Labor-intensive, long processing time	Faster, automated extraction
Consistency & Purity	Inconsistent, some gluten traces	High purity and standardized quality
Market Demand	Personal use or small-scale sales	Large-scale distribution and supply
Equipment Cost	Minimal (bowls, sieve)	High initial investment (mixers, separators, dryers)

Why Choose YasminTrading for Your Wheat Starch Line

YasminTrading is a sufficient partner in your professional wheat starch production system. We are there for you from the first idea to operate the manufacturing machineries. Our team not only will aid you with our customized processing lines, but also supports your production by after-sales services!

Contact us for tailoring you an exceptional wheat starch line based on your business scale and vision!

Final Thoughts

After all, we’ve got to the final station. Production of wheat starch is a magnificent road which requires patience more than automatic systems. From selecting the high-starch content wheat grains to martin process and dough making, from kneading the dough and continuous washing process to achieve such milky starch batter. And for the last part we passed a 3-phase separation to have that dried-powder starch. And eventually, to have a full bag of it in our cupboards!

FAQs

1- What Is Wheat Starch, And Why Is It Important?

Wheat starch is a white, rich carbohydrate powder that comes from the wheat grain. It is used in both sweet and savory dishes due to its tasteless and non-smell nature for gelatinizing, thickening, binding, and glazing. It’s not only valuable in culinary, but also plays a critical role in other industries like paper and crafts.

2- Can I Store Homemade Wheat Starch, And For How Long?

Yes, just keep it in an airtight container or plastic wrap in a cool, dry place for about a year. If you want to keep it as cooked paste, you can keep it at room temperature for three days and in the fridge for a week.

3- Why Does Industrial Wheat Starch Production Use Hydro cyclones?

To separate the A/B starches and vital wheat gluten by their granule size, manufacturers use hydro cyclones units at high-speed to achieve the highest quality and purity.

4- What’s The Difference Between A-Starch And B-Starch in Industrial Production?

In separation part by hydro cyclones, A-starch which has a larger granule size and higher amount of enzyme, is normally used in thickening, while B-starch has smaller granules and high-amylopectin content, makes a uniform and smooth texture in gravies, stews and glazes.