Abstract: Aqueous ambient temperature pastes and gels of starch and poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) are disclosed containing starch in an amount from about 2.5% to about 10%, by weight, of the paste or gel, and poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) in an amount from about 0.5% to about 20%, by weight, of the starch, the poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) content being sufficient to provide aqueous ambient temperature pastes having higher viscosities than the same ambient temperature pastes without poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) and to provide aqueous ambient temperature gels having different gel strengths from the same ambient temperature gels without poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid). These pastes and gels are prepared by a method in which a starch and poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) mixture in an aqueous medium is cooked, preferably by steam-jet cooking, and the resulting starch-poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) solution/dispersion is cooled to ambient temperature with water retained in the solution/dispersion.

Abstract: Starch and a minor amount of natural gum additive are processed together so that the polysaccharide components of each substance are completely dissolved in water, and the resulting blend is recovered. Upon drying, the blend produces a product which hydrates rapidly and which yields dispersions that are not only smooth and viscous, but also possess considerable lubricity. These products are useful in foods as thickening agents, suspending agents, and fat substitutes.

Abstract: A high-protein, food-grade product is prepared by defatting dry-milled corn germ fractions with carbon dioxide under supercritical conditions. The residual lipid and peroxidase activity responsible for development of off-flavors during storage are reduced to a fraction of the levels obtainable by conventional hexane extraction methods.