The many strengths of food starches IMPAG Schweiz

Contact person

Tamara Strebel

Senior Sales & Product Manager

IMPAG AG

From creamy-white yoghurts to golden bread rolls, and from red fruit jellies to silky-ochre fondues – starches can be used in basically any kind of food group.

Starches are as widely used in foods as they are prevalent in nature. The many different sources they are obtained from include cereals, tubers, roots, and pulses

Starches are polysaccharides, which consist in large part of long chains of glucose molecules. Despite the similarities in their composition, native starches exhibit huge differences depending on their botanical origin:

The information has been abstracted and may deviate from reality. Differences in cultivation area, varieties, processing, etc. can also lead to deviating results. *Great variation between different rice starches

The different values arise, firstly, because of different proportionalities and lengths of the amylopectin and amylose chains. Secondly, there are other molecules besides the “starch molecules” that also have an influence. For example, esterified phosphorus plays a big role in the high water-binding capacity of potato starch.

Properties tailored by physical and chemical modification

In addition to their botanical origin and functionality, starches are classified according to how they have been modified. They can go through physical processes such as heat treatment and physical separation. Starches that have been purely physically modified are not given an E-number and can be declared the same as native starches.

Starches can also go through various chemical modifications by being treated with different chemicals. The aim of this could be the substitution of side chains, esterification, etherification, or cross-linking.

Starches are physically or chemically modified in order to adapt their properties to the different applications they are intended to be used in. Modification can achieve greater process stability (heat and shear tolerance), cold swelling, acid stability, freeze-thaw stability, lightness in colour, or shiny surfaces.

The diverse applications of food starches

In the food industry, starches are used in many applications as inexpensive functional ingredients. As such, starches serve as thickeners, gelling or release agents, film formers, emulsifiers, or functional powders.

In baked goods, they are often used as binders and thickeners. They contribute to the structure, consistency, and texture of the baked product and lead to better crumb structure and longer-lasting freshness.

Gluten-free baked goods tend to suffer from the lack of gluten by drying out and crumbling after only a short time. Starches can be used to retain the moisture in gluten-free baked goods.

Popular ingredients for gluten-free products are corn, rice, and tapioca starches as well as their waxy equivalents, where waxy starches have an especially low amylose content.

In yoghurt, starches are used as stabilizers for improving the texture and consistency of the product. This is assuming that the starch is heat and acid stable and has a smooth surface. Specific starches make creamy gels that can mimic the mouthfeel of fats, which can help to reduce both caloric density and costs.

In vegan yoghurt alternatives, gelling starches help replace the absent network of the milk proteins. Furthermore, fine starches based on corn, rice, or tapioca lend products a supple mouthfeel and an appealing shininess.

Pea and potato starches serve to form the basic structure in vegan cheese alternatives and, depending on the fat matrix, lead to firmer textures. Firmness of texture is crucial in making cheese alternatives nice to cut and grate. With the right modifications, the melting behaviour of conventional cheeses can also be imitated.

In soups and sauces, starches are used as thickeners. They help to bind the liquid in the soup or sauce and guarantee the integrity of the product. Wheat, potato, and pea starches are popular options for soups and sauces.

In dessert products, starches improve the baking stability of confectioner’s creams, allow cream and pudding powders to be prepared without boiling, or prevent the escape of water after thawing. The soft-gelling properties of tapioca starches can furthermore help to achieve a rich texture.

Overview of our starch product portfolio (list is not exhaustive; we can present more upon request)