Abstract: A directly compressible starch consisting in an intense white free-flowing powder showing both excellent compression profile and extremely good disintegration properties. This starch is especially designed to be used as a binder in direct compression processes where it yields very hard white tablets at relatively low compression forces. Tablets resulting from the compression of the above mentioned starch disintegrate in an aqueous medium at a very high speed and they additionally exhibit low friability pattern. This free-flowing starch also brings advantages when used as filler and binder in the filling of some hard gelatine capsules especially for these which are filled by pre-compression of the ingredients. This starch is characterized by regular and smooth partially swollen granules which can be either birefringent or non-birefringent. It can be prepared by spray-drying of a partially cooked starch.