Analysis of the Development Trend of Innovative Utilization of Corn Starch Based on Global Patents

To explore global trends in corn starch utilization and compare the technological advancements and strategic layouts of major research institutions domestically and internationally, this study aimed to provide references and insights for China in the field of innovative corn starch utilization. Based on the PatSnap global patent database, the study employed bibliometric and visualization methods to analyze global corn starch technology trends from the perspectives of temporal trends, geographical distribution, technological distribution, and research institutions. The results showed that global corn starch utilization technology had matured and stabilized, with applications primarily in food processing and animal feed, and gradually expanding into the fields of pharmaceutical formulations, materials science, microbial culture and fermentation, and genetic engineering. Although China led in the number of patents, there was a significant gap in global strategic layout, technology quality, and industrial development. It was recommended to strengthen the development of core technologies and global strategic layout, enhance the level of industrial development, and increase awareness of intellectual property protection and market competition. These efforts were expected to provide opportunities and development pathways for the high-value utilization of Chinese entire corn starch industry chain.