The literature of starch has proliferated in the last ten years at an almost geometric rate and a number of important changes and developments in the technology of starch and its derivatives have taken place which makes it highly desirable to review these in some depth. The immensity ofthe subject determined the writer to seek the assistance of a number of prominent workers throughout the world. Where older work contains factual information of present value it has been retained, generally in the form of Additional References. These are brief abstracts which will help specialised searchers in a branch of the subject to complete the information given in the text. Inclusion of dis­ jointed information can often lead to the loss of coherence and clarity, and the device of the Additional References, whilst allowing smooth presentation, also allows the inclusion of up-to-the-minute material appearing after the main text has been written. Apart from the immense amount of important practical and theoretical detail required to produce and use starch for many applications in a number of important industries, a thorough knowledge is also required of a number of aspects for the successful buying and selling of starch. This book was written and published contemporaneously with two others entitled Starch Production Technology and Examination and Analysis of Starch and Starch Products. The three books together provide a wide coverage of starch technology and chemistry with the self-contained individual volumes providing precise information for specialist readers.