Ingredient: Corn Starch

Chemical name of ingredient: Amylose (25%) Amylopectin (75%)
Chemical formula of ingredient: C27H48O20
Health effect: 

• Little to no nutritional value.
• Doesn't contain gluten.
• Causes weight gain.

Made from: Cornstarch is derived from corn, and is also known as corn flour. If corn kernels are soaked in water long enough, between two and three days, the pericarp (center of fruit/vegetable) gets very, very soft. If it’s squeeze through rollers, pretty much all the starch that’s inside it is pressed out. That action pinches the germ (corn seed) off the bottom of the kernel, then the whole mess is rinsed and finally spun in a centrifuge (machine used to separate liquids of different densities.) The starch washes away and is dried to produce corn starch.

Physical Properties:

• White to yellow in color.
• Super fine powdery texture.
• Tastes like raw grain.

Purpose: Cornstarch is an important ingredient when making Mochi. The glutinous rice used to prepare Mochi causes it to have a super sticky texture, so dusting cornstarch on top of the Mochi after it's prepared will stop it from sticking onto your pan and from your hands when it's eaten. 

Chemical structure of cornstarch.