Wheat starch
Pick your family’s diets in the bar above.
Every diet
Wheat starch is the starch of the grain, not an animal ingredient.
Only wheat starch tested under 20 ppm gluten, and labeled gluten-free, fits a gluten-free diet. Otherwise treat it as wheat.
Wheat starch is a carbohydrate.
Washing removes much of the fructan-rich part of the grain. A large serving of ordinary wheat starch is still a wheat food.
Safe in small amounts; may bother some people or raise blood sugar.
Rules by country
Wheat starch is a food. In the US, wheat is a major allergen and has to be named on the label. The FDA's gluten-free rule allows a food to say gluten-free when gluten is under 20 ppm, and a specially washed wheat starch can meet that test and still declare wheat. Ordinary wheat starch that has not been tested that way is not a gluten-free ingredient.
What is it?
Wheat starch thickens and lightens a dough. In Europe it shows up in soups and confectionery. In the US it is the starch half of the wheat kernel, sold separately from the gluten half.
Where it comes from: Wheat starch is the starch washed out of wheat flour, with most of the gluten protein left behind in a separate stream that becomes vital wheat gluten. How much gluten remains depends on how far the washing went.
Why it’s in food
- Thickens soups and sauces
- Lightens confectionery
- Feeds a gluten-free baking mix when the batch is certified
- Pairs with vital wheat gluten, which is the protein taken out of the same flour
Often found in
Also listed as: Wheat starch, Starch from wheat
Health & gut impact
Washing starch out of wheat removes most of the protein, not always all of it. Under 20 ppm is the FDA line for a gluten-free claim, in 21 CFR 101.91.
21 CFR 101.91
Even a gluten-free wheat starch is still wheat. US allergen labeling names the grain so people with a wheat allergy, which is not the same as coeliac disease, can see it.
Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act
What can I use instead?
Related
More thickeners & gums:
Common questions
Is wheat starch gluten-free?
Only when it is specially processed and the package says gluten-free, which means under 20 ppm. Plain wheat starch is not.
Can someone with a wheat allergy eat gluten-free wheat starch?
No. Gluten-free is about the protein level for coeliac disease. A wheat allergy still reacts to wheat, and the label has to name it.
Is Wheat starch safe?
Use in moderation (64/100). Wheat starch is a food. In the US, wheat is a major allergen and has to be named on the label. The FDA's gluten-free rule allows a food to say gluten-free when gluten is under 20 ppm, and a specially washed wheat starch can meet that test and still declare wheat. Ordinary wheat starch that has not been tested that way is not a gluten-free ingredient.
Is Wheat starch vegan?
Yes. Wheat starch is the starch of the grain, not an animal ingredient.
Is Wheat starch gluten-free?
Depends. Only wheat starch tested under 20 ppm gluten, and labeled gluten-free, fits a gluten-free diet. Otherwise treat it as wheat.
Spotted a mistake on this page? Report it ›
Scientific sources & regulatory citations
- 21 CFR 101.91
- Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act