Modified starches
Elevate your products with Ingredion's modified food starch solutions
Modified food starch is an essential ingredient that enhances the performance and functionality of countless food and beverage applications. Offering improved stability, enhanced thickening, and precise texture control, modified starch is ideal for products that need to withstand processing conditions such as high heat, acidity, or shear. From sauces and dressings to baked goods and frozen meals, modified food starch delivers consistent, reliable results that improve product quality and shelf-life.
Ingredion’s modified food starch solutions are designed to help food manufacturers meet specific functional needs while optimizing for cost efficiency and consumer preferences. Whether you're aiming to enhance texture, improve stability, or adapt formulations for clean-label claims, Ingredion’s modified starch provides the versatility and performance needed to succeed in today’s dynamic food landscape.
What is modified food starch?
Modified food starch is a type of starch primarily used as a thickening agent, emulsifier and texturizer in a broad range of food products. It's extracted from different types of plants, such as corn or tapioca. The alteration process provides several benefits that contribute to consistency and shelf-stability.
Because modified food starch is only used to achieve certain goals (like a specific texture or temperature stability), it's not meant to be consumed alone. It's used as an additive that contributes to the quality of the food product, rather than as an ingredient to add flavor or nutritional value.
Different countries have their own ways of identifying the types of modified food starches. In Europe, for instance, each type of modified food starch is assigned an E number that makes it easy to identify the type of chemical modification that has occurred.
What is modified food starch used for?
Manufacturers use modified food starch in their products thanks to a variety of features that can be achieved. Ingredion works with our clients in choosing the best modified food starches for their formulations. There are a number of impactful benefits that can be achieved with our line of modified food starches.
For starters, achieving the perfect texture is one of the biggest uses of modified food starch. It can thicken liquids and fillings, increase crispiness or create a smooth mouthfeel. It also acts as an emulsifier to keep ingredients well-mixed (such as water and oil).
From an aesthetics standpoint, modified food starch can also be used to achieve a glossy sheen while enhancing both color and shine.
Modified food starch also ensures a stable shelf-life so that manufacturers can extend the production timeline and store the product longer without sacrificing taste and quality. Food starches can also create freeze-thaw stability while also being heat tolerant. No matter what temperature your product experiences during production, shipping or preparation, modified food starch keeps the flavor and consistency on-point.
Food products continuing modified food starch also provide gel strength and reduced heat viscosity. Again, this contributes to creating a consistent texture through every stage from production to consumption.
How is modified food starch made?
Ingredion uses a number of different processes to make modified food starches, including cross-linking and stabilization. Cross-linking occurs at the molecular level and enables the food product to successfully withstand high temperatures and low Ph levels. Depending on the type of modified starch, different properties are cross-linked together to create improved uses. As an example, glucose could be cross-linked with phosphate groups to boost viscosity and remove Ph volatility.
Different processes lead to different results, which is why Ingredion has a suite of modified food starch options for manufacturers to choose from. Partnering with Ingredion helps you narrow down the best additives to achieve the results you're looking for within your company's latest formulations.
Modified food starch formulations
Ingredion has a wide range of modified food starch, which can be used in a huge number of food formulations. Here are some formulations frequently used with our modified food starch products:
- Fruit gels
- Bakery and cream fillings
- Cheese products
- Fruit pie fillings
- Canned soups
- Gravy and sauces
- Formed potato, meat and vegetable products
- Breaded and fried foods
- Frozen meals, meat pies and lasagna
- Salad dressings
Modified food starch is a clear winner for baked goods, frozen foods and liquid. No matter what your texture or stability goals may be, using modified food starch is a reliable way to achieve them.
What do consumers think of modified food starch?
There is certainly a growing interest in natural ingredients among consumers. While modified food starch doesn't meet clean label requirements, Ingredion does offer an entire product line of functional native starches to meet this type of consumer demand. These include simple ingredients such as maize starch, tapioca starch, potato starch and rice starch.
However, not all consumers place a priority on natural ingredients and instead prize convenience. Consumers with busy lifestyles, such as families with a packed schedule, need easy-to-prepare meals and snacks. Many single professionals also prefer heating up ready-to-go meals rather than having to cook for one.
Manufacturers can deliver these products by maximizing stability and consistency with modified food starch. It's easy to stay on top of food trends and deliver delicious meals to consumers so they can skip the fast food drive-through and enjoy meals quickly prepared at home.
Benefits of modified food starch
Modified food starch comes with countless benefits to be enjoyed by food manufacturers and developers; and ultimately, the consumers who can rely on consistently high-quality foods that they buy over and over again.
Thickening agent
Modified food starch is regularly used as a thickener in all types of food formulations, including frozen and shelf stable options. From frozen fruit pies to canned soups, modified food starch is a long-time favorite in creating the perfect consistency.
Budget-friendly
Compared to most native food starches, using modified food starch not only allows for broader applications in formulations, but it's also a much more cost-effective option. As rising inflation continues to hurt consumer grocery budgets, using modified food starches can help reign in costs.
Ideal for high temperatures and dairy products
Some native starches are harder to successfully incorporate into these types of formulations. Ingredion has a diverse range of all types of starches, and our modified food starches are particularly effective among nearly any type of formulation.
What is modified food starch made from?
Modified food starch is a broad term that covers a number of starches made from different ingredients. Some of the most common modified food starch sources include corn, maize, waxy maize, potato, sago (from tropical palm trees) and tapioca.
Is modified food starch gluten-free?
Yes, our modified food starches are all gluten-free. It's possible to make starch out of wheat, but U.S. law requires any wheat use to be declared on a label since it's a common allergen. Consequently, modified wheat starch is typically identified as a separate ingredient beyond the other types of food used to make modified food starch.
Manufacturers that focus on gluten-free products or that want to expand into this growing arena can safely use modified food starch made from these non-wheat sources.
Modified food starch safety
Modified food starch is used across the world and poses no safety concerns. This type of additive is digested and passed through the intestines alongside other ingredients. And it can be used in a variety of foods, including products aimed at health-conscious consumers, such as yogurts, salad dressings, low-fat ice cream and gluten-free products.
Modified food starch also contributes a minimal number of calories and carbohydrates to products. So while there's no health benefit to using modified food starches, the product's calorie goals can typically still be met even with the use of these additives.
Modified food starch is a great ingredient for creating shelf stable food products. It can be used as a thickener, binding agent or emulsifier in many different applications.
With multiple options to choose from, Ingredion can help you discover the best modified food starch for your next food product!
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