We Claim:

1.

A process for making a heat treated starch that is noncohesive when dispersed in an aqueous medium and gelatinized comprising the steps: a) providing a native granular starch at a neutral or basic pH; b) dehydrating the starch to a moisture content of 5% or less; and c) heating the dehydrated starch at a temperature of 100°C or greater for a period of time effective to cause the starch to be noncohesive when it is dispersed in an aqueous medium and gelatinized, the heat treated starch being the functional equivalent to a chemically crosslinked or modified starch.

2.	The process according to claim 1 in which the native granular starch is selected from the group consisting of native granular corn, pea, potato, sweet potato, barley, wheat, rice, sago, amaranth, tapioca, sorghum, waxy maize, waxy rice, waxy barley, and combinations thereof.

3.	The process according to claim 2 in which the starch is selected from the group consisting of potato, tapioca, waxy maize, waxy rice, waxy barley, and V.O. hybrid waxy maize starch.

4.	The process according to claim 1 in which the starch is provided at a pH of 7.5 to 12.

5.	The process according to claim 4 in which the starch is provided at a pH of greater than 8.0 to less than 10.5.

6.

The process according to claim 1 in which the native starch is provided at a pH of neutral or greater by slurrying the starch in water and adding a sufficient amount of base to raise the pH of the starch to a level effective to maintain the pH at neutral or basic during the subsequent dehydration and heating steps.

7.

The process according to claim 6 in which the base is selected from the group consisting of sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, ammonium orthophosphate, disodium orthophosphate, trisodium phosphate, calcium carbonate, calcium hydroxide, potassium carbonate, and potassium hydroxide.

8.	The process according to claim 1 in which the native granular starch is dehydrated to a moisture content of 3% or less before the heating step.

9.	The process according to claim 8 in which the native granular starch is dehydrated to a moisture content of 1% or less before the heating step.

10.	The process according to claim 9 in which the native granular starch is dehydrated to anhydrous before the heating step.

11.	The process according to claim 1 in which the starch is heated to a temperature within the range of 100°200°C.

12.	The process according to claim 11 in which the starch is heated to a temperature within the range of 120°180°C.

13.	The process according to claim 12 in which the starch is heated to a temperature within the range of 150°170°C.

14.	The process according to claim 1 in which the heating step is carried out in an apparatus equipped with at least one vent open to the atmosphere.

15.	The process according to claim 1 in which the heating step is carried out in an apparatus equipped with a means for removing water vapor from the apparatus.

16.	The process according to claim 15 in which the apparatus is a fluidized bed reactor.

17.	The use of a fluidized bed reactor to prepare a heat treated starch that is noncohesive when dispersed in an aqueous solution and gelatinized using the process according to claim 1.

18.	A heat treated starch prepared by the process according to claim 1.

19.	A heat treated starch prepared by the process according to claim 1 having a Brabender viscosity of at least 140 B.U. in a 5.4% anhydrous solids dispersion at pH 3 after 20 minutes at 95°C.

20.	A heat treated starch prepared by the process according to claim 1 that achieves no peak viscosity in a 5.4% anhydrous solids dispersion at pH 3 after 20 minutes at 95°C.

21.	A heat treated starch prepared by the process according to claim 1 in which the native granular starch initially has been converted.

22.	A heat treated starch prepared by the process according to claim 1 in which the native granular starch initially has been chemically modified to contain ether or ester substituents.

23.	A food comprising at least one heat treated starch prepared by the process according to claim 1.

24.	A food comprising 0.1 to 35% of at least one heat treated starch prepared by the process according to claim 1.

25.	A starch heated to yield noncohesive texture when dispersed in an aqueous medium and gelatinized.

26.

A process for making a heat treated flour that is noncohesive when dispersed in an aqueous medium and gelatinized comprising the steps: a) providing a native granular flour at a neutral or basic pH; b) dehydrating the flour to a moisture content of 5% or less; and c) heating the dehydrated flour at a temperature of 100°C or greater for a period of time effective to cause the flour to be noncohesive when it is dispersed in an aqueous medium and gelatinized, the heat treated flour being the functional equivalent to a chemically crosslinked or modified flour.

27.	The process according to claim 25 in which the native granular fiour is selected from the group consisting of native granular corn, pea, potato, sweet potato, barley, wheat, rice, sago, amaranth, tapioca, sorghum, waxy maize, waxy rice, waxy barley, and combinations thereof.

28.	The process according to claim 27 in which the flour is selected from the group consisting of potato, tapioca, waxy maize, waxy rice, waxy barley, and V.O. hybrid waxy maize flour.

29.	The process according to claim 25 in which the native flour is provided at a pH of 7.5 to 12.

30.	The process according to claim 29 in which the native flour is provided at a pH greater than 8.0 to less than 10.5.

31.

The process according to claim 25 in which the native flour is provided at a pH of neutral or greater by slurrying the starch in water and adding a sufficient amount of base to raise the pH of the starch to a level effective to maintain the pH at neutral or basic during the subsequent dehydration and heating steps.

32.

The process according to claim in which the base is selected from the group consisting of sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, ammonium orthophosphate, disodium orthophosphate, trisodium phosphate, calcium carbonate, calcium hydroxide, potassium carbonate, and potassium hydroxide.

33.	The process according to claim 25 in which the native granular flour is dehydrated to a moisture content of 3% or less before the heating step.

34.	The process according to claim 25 in which the native granular flour is dehydrated to a moisture content of 1% or less before the heating step.

35.	The process according to claim 25 in which the native granular flour is dehydrated to anhydrous before the heating step.

36.	The process according to claim 25 in which the flour is heated to a temperature within the range of 100°200°C.

37.	The process according to claim 11 in which the flour is heated to a temperature within the range of 120°180°C.

38.	The process according to claim 12 in which the flour is heated to a temperature within the range of 150°170°C.

39.	The process according to claim 25 in which the heating step is carried out in an apparatus equipped with at least one vent open to the atmosphere.

40.	The process according to claim 25 in which the heating step is carried out in an apparatus equipped with a means for removing water vapor from the apparatus.

41.	The process according to claim 15 in which the apparatus is a fluidized bed reactor.

42.	The use of a fluidized bed reactor to prepare a heat treated flour that is noncohesive when dispersed in an aqueous solution and gelatinized using the process according to claim 25.

43.	A heat treated flour prepared by the process according to claim*& 25.

44.	A heat treated flour prepared by the process according to claim 25 having a Brabender viscosity of at least 140 B.U. in a 5.4% anhydrous solids dispersion at pH 3 after 20 minutes at 95°C.

45.	45 A heat treated flour prepared by the process according to claim 25 that achieves no peak viscosity in a 5.4% anhydrous solids dispersion at pH 3 after 20 minutes at 95°C.

46.	A heat treated flour prepared by the process according to claim 25 in which the native granular fiour initially has been converted.

47.	A heat treated flour prepared by the process according to claim 25 in which the native granular flour initially has been chemically modified to contain ether or ester substituents.

48.	A food comprising at least one heat treated flour prepared by the process according to claim 25.

49.	A food comprising 0.1 to 35% of at least one heat treated flour prepared by the process according to claim 25.

50.	A flour heated to yield noncohesive texture when dispersed in an aqueous medium and gelatinized.