Starch Biomass for Biofuels, Biomaterials, and Chemicals

The success of modern biorefineries, including those using starch-based feedstocks, should be based on versatile biomass supply chains and on the production of a wide spectrum of competitive bio-based products. This chapter summarizes the current knowledge of bio-based products obtained mainly from biochemical platforms from starch- and sugar-based feedstocks. After an initial review of starch production sources and starch properties as well as starch-based end applications, this chapter reviews the state of the art of starch hydrolytic enzymes, focusing on a bio-based platform for the main value-added (bio)chemicals, biofuels, and biomaterials that can be obtained from sugar-based feedstocks.