Non-chemically modified food starches

A process for producing thermally inhibited, non-pregelatinized granular starch comprising:

• (i) obtaining an alkaline non-pregelatinized granular starch having a pH of at least 7.2;
• (ii) subjecting the starch to a hydrothermal treatment to obtain a hydrothermally treated non-pregelatinized granular starch, the hydrothermal treatment being at a temperature of 100-170° C. with:
• steam at a steam pressure of 0.1-15 bar, where:
• at a given temperature T, the steam pressure is 0.3 bar above equilibrium steam pressure p(e), at the p(e) or below the p(e);
• or
• at a given steam pressure p, the temperature is 10° C. below dew point or vaporization point T(e), at the T(e) or above the T(e);
• or
• a gas mixture comprising water vapor at a partial water vapor pressure of 0.1-15 bar, where:
• at a given temperature T, the partial water vapor pressure is 0.3 bar above equilibrium partial water vapor pressure p(e), at the p(e) or below the p(e);
• or
• at a given partial water vapor pressure p, the temperature is 10° C. below dew point or vaporization point T(e), at the T(e) or above the T(e);
• (iii) dehydrating the hydrothermally treated non-pregelatinized granular starch to a moisture content of 2 wt % or lower and subjecting the starch to a thermal treatment by heating the starch to a temperature of 120-190° C., to obtain viscostability;
• and
• (iv) cooling and optionally further processing the starch.