Recent developments of multiple functionalization of starches: A review of physical, chemical, and enzymatic modifications and their industrial applications

This review evaluates recent advances in dual and multiple starch modification strategies, with an emphasis on how process design influences the resulting structural and functional performance. Rather than presenting individual modification methods in isolation, the discussion considers how physical, chemical, and enzymatic treatments interact at multiple organizational levels, ultimately shaping the technological behavior of starch‑based systems. Starch should no longer be understood as a material with intrinsic limitations, but as a structurally tunable platform whose functionality can be engineered through controlled modification sequences. Particular emphasis is placed on how the order of application, process severity, and botanical source determine whether the outcome results in structural consolidation, targeted molecular reorganization, or excessive degradation. These transformations directly influence parameters relevant to food engineering, including thermal stability, rheological behavior, digestibility modulation, interfacial properties, and mechanical performance. While native starches present clear functional limitations in industrial settings, multiply modified systems provide opportunities for ingredient replacement, cost reduction, and performance optimization. This review argues that multiple modification should be approached as a structured engineering strategy guided by mechanistic understanding, rather than as a simple accumulation of processing steps.