National Starch Food Innovation can trace its roots back over 120 years to a series of mergers by regional starch producers in the USA that served the wallpaper, textile and envelope markets. These merged businesses formed what was known as the National Starch Company of New Jersey, where we are still headquartered.

In 1939, the company integrated backwards by purchasing its first starch refinery. In the following decade, National Starch’s scientists began unlocking the potential of natural polymers by developing the first waxy maize starches, the first patented cross-linked starches and the first cross-linked waxy maize starches. These new speciality starches had a significant impact on processed foods because they had superior thickening properties, longer shelf life and contributed to improved texture and appearance.

National Starch expanded its science base by acquiring a maize breeding operator that enabled the company to develop new hybrids with built-in starch properties that could further benefit the food industry. This cemented the company’s reputation as a science-based ingredient supplier that could deliver new types of functionality from agricultural materials.

Over the past 25 years, National Starch has broadened its natural polymer starch portfolio with tapioca, rice and potato. This science-based approach is one reason why National Starch has consistently stayed at the forefront of ingredient technology as the food market becomes increasingly sophisticated and demands solutions to more complex processing challenges.

Over the last 50 years, our ever-widening polymer capability resulted in an unrivalled series of starch-based innovations, including our groundbreaking work in functional native starches, resistant starches, speciality flours and texture development.

Innovation is our heritage!