Controller Design for Evaluating Optimal Chemical Ratio in Starch Modification Process

Native form of starch obtained from Cassava roots is not directly employed due to the property limitations of insolubility in cold water, loss of viscosity and low shear stress resistance. In order to overcome the limitations of native starch and to meet the growing population demand, modified starch manufacturing is essential. Native starch is modified through chemical, physical, enzymatic and genetic methods. Modified starch is used in many applications in textile, pharmacy, plastic, paper, food industries etc. Out of various modified starch production process in an industry, at a time only one particular type of modified starch is manufactured. Currently chemical modification is used in the majority of the starch modification industries which employs manual work for the addition of chemicals with native starch. The chemical modification process requires skilled persons to add precise ratio of chemicals with the native starch according to the various industrial requirements. The improper chemical proportion leads to many health issues especially in food processing industries. In order to reduce this labor-intensive error during manual addition of chemicals with native starch, it is necessary to design a controller to evaluate the proper ratio of chemicals mix with the native starch for the application of modified starch in various industries.