
Starch-Water-Oil Mix Fit for Many UsesBy Ben Hardin January 29, 2001A once-improbable finding that
starch, water and oil can mix to become a material with an unusual variety of
forms has led to partnerships between the Agricultural Research Service and
industries to develop a wide array of new products. In 1994 ARS patented the process for making the material, Fantesk. That same
year, ARS scientists at the National Center for Agricultural Utilization
Research (NCAUR), Peoria, Ill., began working with Seedbiotics, Inc., to find
ways to put Fantesk to work. In 1999, Fantesk was first marketed as a seed
coating. Fantesk is formed first as a gel when starch, such as cornstarch, and an
oil, such as soy oil, are processed in pressurized steam. Tiny droplets of oil
remain well distributed in the starch without a greasy feel. The oil droplets, 0.1 to 10 microns in diameter, are ideal places to
encapsulate certain fat-soluble compounds that contribute flavor to foods.
Under one of the latest agreements with ARS, Azure Waves Seafood, Inc., of
Cincinnati, Ohio, is developing seafoods seasoned with herbs and spices in
Fantesk breading. Other food applications on the horizon include cheeses,
soft-serve ice cream, cookies and muffins. In a newly renovated pilot plant, NCAUR scientists are producing
1,000-gallon lots of Fantesk that a new research partner, Hy-Gene Biomedical
Corp. of Ventura, Calif., needs for research. Hy-Gene holds an exclusive
license for medical products and a non-exclusive license for cosmetic
applications. Working with Shrieve Chemical Products,
Inc., of Woodlands, Texas, scientists at NCAUR invented a way to use a
Fantesk formulation as a water-based additive to reduce wear on bits used in
mud drilling. Although oil-based additives until now have worked better than
those made with water, the market has recently shifted to less costly
water-based additives that are less toxic to creatures in the environment. ARS is the chief scientific research agency in the
U.S. Department of Agriculture. Scientific contact: Craig J. Carriere, ARS
National Center for Agricultural
Utilization Research, Peoria, Ill., phone (309) 681-6551, fax (309)
681-6685, [email protected]. U.S. Department of Agriculture | |