What is Starch?

Let’s find out!

Green plants can make food because they have the green pigment called chlorophyllchlorophyll. Chlorophyll helps to trap sunlight for the plant to make food. The process of making food is called photosynthesisphotosynthesis. Green plants also need water and carbon dioxide to photosynthesize.

SunlightSunlight

Carbon dioxideCarbon dioxide

waterwater

The leaves of the green plants are like factories. They make lots of food in the presence of sunlight, water and carbon dioxide. The food that green plants make is called glucoseglucose. Glucose is a kind of sugar which is broken down by plants to be used for energy. When too much glucose is made, the excess is stored in plant parts as starchstarch.

Glucose Glucose Starch Starch

To test for the presence of starch, the iodine iodine solution testsolution test is used. Starch will interact with iodine solution and turn the iodine solution from brownbrown to dark bluedark blue.

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Starch

Iodine solution Iodine solution

The function of some plant parts is to store food made by plants. The stored form of this food is called starch.

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Starch