** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** CLEAN LABEL IS A CONSUMER-DRIVEN INITIATIVE THAT REQUIRES THAT FOOD INGREDIENTS ARE NATURAL, FAMILIAR, SIMPLE, AND FREE FROM SYNTHETIC CHEMICALS. STARCH IS WIDELY USED IN FOODS FOR ITS DIVERSE FUNCTIONALITIES AND AVAILABILITY, BUT IS OFTEN MODIFIED TO MAXIMIZE ITS FUNCTIONALITIES. MODIFIED STARCH IS, THEREFORE, A NON-CLEAN-LABEL INGREDIENT. THUS, REPLACING NON-CLEAN-LABEL INGREDIENTS, SUCH AS MODIFIED STARCH, WITH NATURAL ALTERNATIVES CAN RESULT IN POOR SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS. THIS PROJECT PROPOSES A NEW APPROACH TO CREATE CLEAN LABEL STARCHES BY UTILIZING THE COMPONENTS NATURALLY PRESENT IN PIGMENTED CEREALS IN COMBINATION WITH CONVENTIONAL THERMAL PROCESSING METHODS. STARCH IS THE MAIN COMPONENT IN PIGMENTED CEREALS, FOLLOWED BY PROTEIN. PIGMENTED CEREALS ARE ALSO RICH IN PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS THAT ARE ANTIOXIDANTS AND LOCATED IN THE BRAN LAYER. RECENTLY, WE DISCOVERED THAT POLYPHENOLS AND PROTEIN IN PIGMENTED CEREALS MAY INTERACT TO CHANGE STARCH PROPERTIES TO BECOME SIMILAR TO CHEMICALLY MODIFIED STARCH. THEREFORE, PIGMENTED CEREALS OF DIFFERENT COLORS AND FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES WILL BE INVESTIGATED IN THIS STUDY TO FULLY UNDERSTAND HOW THEIR INTERACTIONS ALTER FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES. THIS PROJECT WILL HELP UNDERSTAND THE CHEMICAL NATURE OF INTERACTIONS AMONG POLYPHENOLS, PROTEIN AND STARCH AND HOW THERMAL PROCESSING CONDITIONS CHANGE THEIR INTERACTIONS. THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO IMPLEMENT A NEW CLEAN-LABEL METHOD WITH IMPROVED SENSORY AND NUTRITIONAL CHARACTERISTICS TO BUILD A MORE SUSTAINABLE AND CONSUMER-FRIENDLY FOOD INDUSTRY.