Tapioca starch is made by manioc (cassava), it is a starchy white flour that has a slight sweet flavor, Tapioca flour is an extremely smooth starch, which makes for a great thickener in sauces, pies and soups. If you're looking for a highly absorbent starch, rice starch can be a great choice. Rice starch has the smallest particle size of all rice starches, making it very absorbent. It also has a very clean taste. Glutinous rice contains just one component of starch, called amylopectin, there is no gluten in glutinous rice. Corn starch is a fine, powdery starch that is made out of corn. The cornstarch is actually made from the endosperm of the corn, which makes up most of the kernels that we eat when enjoying popcorn or corn on the cob. Cornstarch, also sometimes called cornflour, is produced by grinding, washing and drying the endosperm of the corn until it reaches that fine, powdery state. Cornstarch is gluten free. Cornstarch has many culinary uses, but it is most often used as a thickener for sauces, gravies and fruit pie fillings