STARCH ], (C 6 H 10 O 5 ) n , the main reserve food of plants, constitutes two-thirds of the carbohydrate caloric intake of most humans but only 47% of the carbohydrate caloric intake by Americans, who also get about 52% of their carbohydrate calories from sugar. Commercial starches are obtained from seeds, particularly corn, waxy corn, high amylose corn, wheat, and rice, and from tubers or roots particularly potato, sweet potato, and tapioca (cassava). Their principal use is in foods; the major nonfood uses are in sizing of paper and textiles, and as adhesives (qv).Egyptian papyrus bonded with a starchy adhesive has been dated to 3500-4000 BC. Pliny the Elder (23-74 AD) described Egyptian use of wheat starch modified by boiling in vinegar to produce a smooth surface for papyrus documents.Enzyme technology, especially immobilized-enzyme technology, has allowed production of sweeteners (qv) from corn starch, ie, corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), and often also provides sources of chemical feedstocks to replace petroleum. Enzymes, notably α-amylase, glucoamylase, and glucose isomerase, catalyze specific polysaccharide-degrading reactions to produce various glucose syrups. Immobilized enzyme technology has significant advantages because of the recoverability of the enzymes and their re-use in a continuous system, rather than in batch systems. Starch conversion technology, especially conversion to glucose and fructose-containing syrups, has been reviewed (1) (see Enzyme applications; Syrups).The quasi-crystalline structure of natural starch granules causes them to be insoluble in water at normal room temperature and gives them relative resistance to carbohydrases other than α-amylase and glucoamylase unless the granules become swollen. Three-dimensional arrangements of crystalline and amorphous zones in starch granules have been suggested (2).