Starch and sugar sectors are very important branches of agriculture based industry in our country. These two sectors are also raw material producers for the food sector. Therefore, the production of plants used in starch and sugar production is of economic importance. Starch and sugar plants play an important role in healthy nutrition. Starch and sugar crops agriculture also contributes to the development of plant and animal production and the improvement of the physical structure and ecological balance of soils.

Starch is in the form of insoluble granules in cold water and is an important carbohydrate stored in plant cells. It is the main component of corn, wheat, rice and potatoes. Chemically, starch granules consist of glucose units called amylose and amylopectin.

The amylose and amylopectin content of starch varies according to plant species. For example, wheat starch contains about amylose in the vicinity of 25, corn starch contains amylopectin in the percent 97-99. The shape, size and structure of the granules are also different. These results are obtained in laboratories using scanning electron microscopes.

Most of the starch products are used in the food and beverage sector. Amylases are enzymes that hydrolyze starch.

Today, micro-food analyzes are performed in the field of food engineering and confocal microscope-like electron microscopes are used in these analyzes. By using food dyes, these analyzes provide information about starch, carbohydrate granules, protein and many more details in microstructure. These microscopic methods give more accurate results in the optimization of foods.

Starch content analysis is also carried out in the authorized laboratories between chemical tests. In these analyzes, the standards published by domestic and foreign organizations and the methods of analysis and test criteria accepted in the world are followed and reliable and impartial service is provided in the laboratories. A standard taken into account in these analyzes is:

• TS 2970 Starch - Edible