Yes, Hikari(R) operated a fully staffed research facility in Japan which conducted ongoing research on all of our diets, and also the ingredients we currently use and those we think might prove to be beneficial if used in the future. We are keenly focused on developing diets that avoid any fat deposit build-up as we know from our research the significant impact this can have on fish and their length of life.
Starch can be a very effective, highly concentrated carbohydrate source and quite effective for carnivorous fish, when processed properly. Of course, as has been mentioned in this post previously, there is some concern that carnivores cannot digest a carb source as easily as herbivorous fish might. This is why the type is important and why we only use a purified form.
Same as you and I, fish require metabolic energy to stay alive. A carbohydrate, when processed properly during production, is a very clean" energy source for your fish. Once consumed the by-products are only CO2 and H2O, unlike a protein or lipid which causes Nitrate and Phosphate. So for fish kept in an enclosed aquarium, it is a better option to maintain good fish health to use a clean energy source instead of one that can negatively impact the water quality which will negatively impact the health of the fish over time.
As many have suggested in this forum, simple logic says that carnivores should not take in high levels of the carbohydrates as this is not "viewed" as part of their natural diet, but if the carbohydrate is converted to a more usable form this may not actually be true. Please remember, we are not keeping these fish in their natural habitat, nor do they have the normal activity level or food sources available to them they would have in the wild. For these reasons, developing a diet that provides them the balanced nutrition they require, in a form they can use at a high efficiency level without causing a negative impact to their environment becomes a primary focus for a responsible maker of their daily diet.
For these reasons, we use a lab developed level of carbohydrates (such as starch) for our carnivore diets, and this is one of the reasons our product quality is always reliable and considered outstanding by top hobbyists who actually have first hand experience using our products over longer time horizons.
