Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Some trends to bear in mind that are currently fuelling the demand for clean
label ingredients are discussed below.
1 Through the various celebrity chef cookery programmes and advertising by the
supermarket groups, consumers are increasingly avoiding foods high in fat,
salt, sugar and also foods containing additives. Modifi ed starch is an ingredient
which carries an E number and is not perceived as natural.
2 Food labels are increasingly referring to products as local, kitchen-style
or home-style, etc. Modifi ed starch is not perceived as fi tting into these
categories.
3 The percentage of consumers who are reading labels is thought to be increasing.
4 The terms 'natural' or 'free from additives' are increasingly appearing on food
product labels. Modifi ed starch is an additive and is not perceived as fi tting into
these categories.
5 Descriptive language on food packs increasingly describes products as 'pure'
or 'fresh'. Modifi ed starch is not perceived as fi tting into these categories.
While the onset of the recession in 2008 brought some respite to food processors
who were otherwise being pressurised to using clean label starches, manufacturers
are now once again under pressure from supermarket groups and consumers to
remove additives from food, including modifi ed starches. This has led to reduced
sales, especially in the UK and Ireland, of modifi ed starches but increased sales of
functional clean label equivalents. The issue at stake for starch manufacturers is
to fi nd innovative ways to deliver clean label solutions that offer the functionality
and qualities of modifi ed starch. This challenge is greater in the EU than the US
due to the dominance of supermarkets in Europe and also discrepancies between
the defi nition of clean label in the two continents. However, the clean label
movement is thought also to be gaining appeal in the US.
Clean label starches have been on offer in the marketplace for some time now
- National Starch have been active in this area since the mid to late 1990s, when
its Novation® starch range came into being. Starch-producing companies are
employing many techniques to impart functional characteristics to native starches
that are equivalent to their modifi ed counterparts. While the fi rst generation clean
label starches were not so stable in conditions of high acid shear, the current
generation clean label starches are indeed very functional. Some of the techniques
which starch companies are employing include:
•
Physical modifi cation through agglomeration and granulation.
•
Selective crop breeding - we have recently seen the launch of high amylopectin
waxy potato and wheat starches (by changing the ratio of amylose to
amylopectin it is possible to offer differing functional performance).
•
Thermal treatment of native fl ours.
The techniques and technologies applied by the starch producers are closely
guarded by those companies because of their commercial sensitivity. It is not
possible to discuss the processes in more detail because the information is not in
the public domain.
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