Rice starch for 'extreme conditions'
German ingredients supplier Beneo was exhibiting its latest addition to its line of functional rice starches, Remypure S52.
The starch is made using a thermal inhibition process that strengthens the starch granules to increase their properties.
“What’s so special about this, is it’s a functionalised native starch so it can withstand harsh conditions that normally require using a modified starch,” said Steven Gumeny, BENEO Regional Product Manager.
The first product in the range, S51, was designed to cope with moderate temperatures, acidity levels and shear processing.
S52, meanwhile, can withstand “extreme conditions”, said Gumeny.
“The enemy of any starch is high shear, high acidity or low pH and high temperature. Any of these conditions will cause the starch to lose its viscosity and texture. S52 can withstand high shear in, say, a colloid mill to make a low-fat mayonnaise where before they would have had to use a modified starch.”
It can also cope with the high acidity levels of fruit preparations or tomato-based sauces.
Aside from the benefits in terms of allergen declarations, rice starch beats other starches thanks to the small particle size, said Benoit Tavernier, product manager of rice ingredients.
“It has the same sized particles as fat droplets, meaning you can mimic a creamy mouthfeel. That’s not the case for other starches, such as potato for example, which can be 10 times bigger than rice.”
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