---

National Starch and Chemical Company Bridgewater Since its founding in 1895, National Starch and Chemical Company. has become a world leader in specialty chemicals largely due to the advancements it has made along dual research tracks in natural and synthetic polymer chemistry. The company's expertise lies in manipulating polymers derived from natural sources such as corn and tapioca starches and synthetic compounds cracked from petroleum. National Starch has earned more than 1,000 U.S. patents and adds 35 patents on average each year. In National Starch's three principal product lines - adhesives, resins and starches - decades of research and development effort have resulted in thousands of novel chemicals that improve performance of products, increase line speeds, and reduce processing costs, wastes and rejects. National Starch's inventions are used in myriad ways from packaging to electronics, from food products to hair gels, from paper production to woodworking and from diapers to automobiles. Early on, National Starch research focused on replacing commodity starches and glues with high performance products formulated for specific applications. COL-FLO® food starches, first introduced in 1960, replaced commodity starches with a high-performance specialty that made new types of food fillings, gravies and sauces available commercially. National Starch was also the first to create hot melt adhesives, an invention that radically altered many packaging and converting processes and created new ways to bind books. The CATO® line of cationic starches, patented in 1957, makes paper manufacturing less resource intensive and less expensive by substituting high-performance starches for more expensive fillers. More recently, National Starch’s COOL-LOK® hot melt products are revolutionizing hot melt technology by significantly reducing or eliminating ozone harming solvents and reducing the required melting temperature by 100 degrees. ECO-FOAM® starch technology has resulted in an environmentally friendly replacement for polystyrene. First applied in the packaging industry as a replacement for polystyrene packaging peanuts, the product is being used in locking and bracing applications and as packaging wrap inside of cartons. ECO-FOAM® is more than 95 percent corn starch and dissolves when moistened. National Starch’s N-LITE® fat mimetics offers the food processing industry starches that replace or eliminate fat but maintain the texture, flavor or appearance of low- or no-fat foods. NOVELOSE® resistant starch has led to food starches that actually boost the fiber content of some food.