Researchers found a way to turn uncooked starch into sugar efficiently for making alcohol. They used a mix of enzymes and optimized conditions to break down starch from rice, sweet potato, and tapioca. Smaller starch particles led to more sugar production. Treating the starch with specific enzymes at the right pH and time resulted in high levels of sugar conversion. Combining macerating, liquifying, and saccharifying enzymes together worked better than using them separately. The saccharification process was most effective for rice, followed by sweet potato and tapioca.