Snacking starches from Avebe

Dutch starch producer Avebe has unveiled a new line of functional starches designed to improve the texture and processing of savoury snacks. The Snacktex range can be used in extruded snacks, sheeted and fried or baked snacks and coated nuts.

The range includes cold soluble as well as cold water swelling starches based on potato and waxy maize, providing, according to Avebe, excellent dough sheetability and highly expanded snacks. The range also includes new cook-up potato starches which are able to improve crispness, for example in oven-baked snacks.

For stackable chips, it is important to have good dough-handling properties. "The use of Snacktex starches promotes excellent sheetability by providing dough lubrication. In addition, a perfect light and crispy bite is obtained,"​ claimed Jaap Harkema, business development manager at Avebe.

Baked potato snacks based on potato flakes are popular for their low fat content compared to fried snacks. At a fat content below 10 per cent, Snacktex starches yield good dough properties, high expansion, crunchy textures with fast mouth clearance and limited breakage of the baked crisps upon further handling, Avebe said.

For fried coated nuts, several criteria must be met: the dough layer must stick to the nut, yet the nuts must not stick together; the fried coating must not break during packaging and transport, but it must also provide the desired shape, texture and expansion. The use of combinations of Snacktex's starches assures easy processing and an array of different textures.

For applications of the more traditional potato snack pellets, Snacktex starches help to provide a stable and smooth extrusion process and improve the texture in many desired directions, the Dutch group said.

Avebe has produced a brochure entitled 'The Crystal Clear Solution for Savoury Snacks' which provides more information on the new Snacktex range. The brochure can be found on the Avebe website​.