group is attached to the starch via an ether linkage the hydrophobic reagent preferably comprises a halide halohydrin epoxide or glycidyl group as reactive site the alkyl chain of the agent can vary from 4 24 carbon atoms preferably from 7 20 carbon atoms suitable examples of hydrophobic reagents to provide an ether linkage are cetyl bromide lauryl bromide butylene oxide epoxidized soybean fatty alcohols epoxydized linseed fatty alcohols allyl glycidyl ether propyl glycidyl ether butyl glycidyl ether decane glycidyl ether lauryl glycidyl ether lauryl phenyl glycidyl ether myristoyl glycidyl ether cetyl glycidyl ether palmityl glycidyl ether stearyl glycidyl ether linolyl glycidyl ether and mixtures thereof other etherification agents which may be used to react with starch in accordance with the invention are alkyl halides containing at least four carbon atoms such as 1 bromodecane 10 bromo 1 decanol and 1 bromododecane in a preferred embodiment a charged hydrophobic group is introduced a hydrophobic cationic group can be attached via an ether linkage by reaction of the starch with a reagent comprising a quaternary ammonium group for example a 1 chloro 2 hydroxypropyltrialkyl ammonium salt or a glycidyltrialkyl ammonium salt the alkyl chains of this quaternary ammonium group can vary from 1 24 carbon atoms preferably from 7 20 carbon atoms wherein at least one of the alkyl chains of the quaternary ammonium group comprises 4 24 carbon atoms preferably the other alkyl chains have less than 7 carbon atoms for example 3 chloro 2 hydroxypropyl dimethyl dodecylammonium salt 1 chloro 2 hydroxypropyldimethyllauryl ammonium salt 1 chloro.