If waste material of this kind is sound and wholesome, there can be no valid objection to its use if the product be offered for sale under its proper designation.
STARCHES USED AS FOODS.
Edible Starches.
—Attention has already been called to the fact that starch is the principal constituent of many of the common foods, such as cereals and the different varieties of the potato and other vegetables. Starch is often separated from the part of the plant producing it, and is then largely consumed as food in practically a pure state. Starches used in this way are presented in the form of pudding or desserts of some kind, and are often richly spiced, highly sweetened, and often eaten with cream. Starch also appears in the market under other names such as tapioca, arrowroot, etc.
Arrowroot.
—The plant which furnishes the substance known as arrowroot belongs to the natural family Cannaceæ and is principally native of tropical regions. The most important source of the arrowroot of commerce is the Canna indica. The starch of this plant exhibits in a strong degree certain characteristic qualities of starches derived from this natural family. The hilum in this starch is round and in some varieties double. The appearance of this starch under the microscope is shown in [Fig. 45]. The product of commerce is obtained from the rhizome and tubers.
Bermuda Arrowroot.
—The Bermuda arrowroot is obtained principally from the Maranta arundinacea. This arrowroot is also produced very largely in St. Vincent and other West Indian localities. The granules of the starch are very much smaller than in the two species just described. The hilum is prominent, and frequently takes the shape of a well defined slit instead of the usual round spot. These arrowroots and those of South African origin are very extensively used for invalid foods where starchy foods are indicated, which, however, is not very often the case. These starches form a firm and semitranslucent jelly-like body when heated to the boiling point in a small quantity of water. The term arrowroot is applied to starch from plants of the origin mentioned because the natives of the country producing them use the bruised rhizomes as a poultice for wounds caused by arrows.
Fig. 45.—Maranta (Arrowroot) Starch (× 200).—(Courtesy Bureau of Chemistry.)