taste in some of the dent corn samples at ph 12 the alkali treatment instantly removes the off flavor in several samples and at ph 12 3 the off taste is instantly removed from almost all samples therefore it is preferred that the alkaline treatment is for less than 5 hours more preferably less than 1 hour and most preferred less than a 1 2 hour economically the process is optimized by reducing the length of time that the starch is maintained at an elevated ph by bringing the slurry to a ph that approaches the starch 39 s pasting ph the starch is then washed under alkaline conditions several times using any washing method typically the alkaline slurry is drained of the majority of the alkaline liquid thereafter the residue may be washed by filtration centrifugation counter current washing settling or a combination of these steps after each washing the starch is resuspended before beginning the next wash while washing the starch several times is critical to this invention at least four washings are preferred and it is most preferable that the starch be washed at least five times furthermore it is important that the washing procedure not lower the ph of the starch below about ph 10 after washing but before drying the starch may be neutralized.