Modified Starch and their uses in Food Industry

Modified starch has revolutionized the food industry. It is a versatile ingredient with several uses for enhancing food quality. The ingredient thickens sauces, controls moisture, and enhances the product’s texture by maintaining quality irrespective of the temperature changes.

Often replacing the modified starch ingredient is difficult due to its usability. It is used to cease undesirable changes in a food product’s texture and appearance. Starch can provide several functional benefits to food products that require preservatives.

Gujarat Enterprises provides modified starch with the best combinations. The enterprise is helping the food business of India with remarkable contributions to the food industry. Today, we bring here modified starch and its uses in the food industry.

What is Modified Starch?

Modified starch is a type of starch derived from extracting grains and vegetables. The grains and vegetables have been over time treated to improve the ability to maintain the texture and structure of the food in various environmental changes.

The process of extraction is completed through crosslinking, esterification, etherification, or oxidants treatment on the grains and vegetables.

Modified starch can be used in food products that need to be microwaved, free-dried, baked at high temperature, cooked, and fried. The modified starch maintains the texture and overall sense of the food throughout the cooking process.

Adding to it, modified starch belongs to the family of carbohydrates and has no nutritional value, therefore it doesn’t affect the effects a food will make.

Features of Modified Starch

Modified starch is created by treating various natural starches either chemically or physically to alter their chemical structure. The nutritional value of natural starch doesn’t change majorly and contains the same amount of glucose. Although, molecular arrangement with the polymer chain differs.

Let’s look at Modified Starch’s features to understand it better.

1. Higher stability for cooking

2. Low and stable viscosity for better processing

3. The clarity to maintain the food’s look

4. Thaw stability improves the food’s life

5. Better binding properties

6. Preventive granulation and gelatinization

7. Forbids swelling

8. Increases the shelf-life of the food products

9. Better appearance

10. Provides food with an amphiphilic characteristic

Advantages of using Modified Starch in Food Products

The modified starches are used as food adding to thicken, stabilize and emulsify the food products. It has the ability to stand temperature fluctuations and increases the shelf life. Often, the modified starch is used in instant food products, it is immensely popular and can be found almost in every processed food.

1. Can be used as a substitute for fat

Consumers have increasingly been more aware of their health and fitness. Starch has the property to decrease the amount of fat required in a certain food. It can be modified by hydrolysis to form a fat replacer.

The modified starch can be used as low-fat butter, low-fat mayonnaise, low-fat milk type products, and low-fat ice cream products. Modified starch can help a food product company to boost sales by satisfying consumer demands.

2. Can facilitate textures

Modified starch is widely used as an ingredient for maintaining a food product’s texture. It can be used for ready-to-eat products, and instantly makes. The ingredient adds crispiness to the biscuit and snacks, decreases undesirable properties of native starch, breaks viscosity for better food, and desired chewability, and enhances the quality of extruded products.

3. Can claim high nutritional value

Although the modified starch doesn’t have any nutritional value, it is researched to escape the digestion in the small intestine of healthy individuals. This type of modified starch is known as resistant starch and works as dietary fiber. It can provide some benefits for insoluble fiber and soluble fiber.

Due to the modification, the modified starch can have more nutritional value.

4. It is Odourless and tasteless

The modified starch doesn’t affect the feel of the food and flavor. As there are no unpleasant odors and tastes that can enable a convenient blend with various flavors and ingredients.

Modified starch makes a good additive for certain food products. It can have even more benefits according to the type of food product used and the way the starch is modified.

Types of Food Products where Modified starch can be used

Various types of ready-to-eat and ready-to-make food products. Here are some of the foods that require modified starch to increase their shelf-life, maintain their texture, and have high quality for the consumers.

1. Sauce and Dips

The low viscosity of the modified starch keeps the quality and richness of products like sauces and dips intact.

2. Mayonnaise and Savoury Applicants

Like sauces and dips, mayonnaise requires maintaining the same quality throughout temperature changes.

3. Coated nuts and waffles

Modified starch helps these products to retain their crispiness and food texture.

4. Cheese and cream

To maintain the softness of these milk products, modified starch can act as the medium to maintain their quality.

5. Fillings and gravies

These products need to maintain their taste in high and low temperatures.

6. Bread and meat

All the products that have meat and bread can enhance their quality by adding modified starch.

Modified starch can be used in these types of products as thickener, stabilizer, Texturizer, Appearance Improver, Fat replacer, and Emulsifier. Through these uses, food production can increase the profitability and scalability of the products.

The starch is widely obtained from wheat, potato, and rice. The difference in ingredients has distinctive results. Such as wheat starch gives transparent liquid, and is soluble in water. Whereas, potato starch can be used for increasing moisture content and softness in food. Rice starch has a low melting point and good transparency, hence, it can be used for ready-to-make food items.

With these many distinctive benefits, you can choose modified starch according to your food product’s requirements.

Conclusion

Modified starch can be used for various purposes and without any such adverse effects on health. It doesn’t affect the nutritional value of the food product they are used in. Its popularity is because of its usability for food products.

Gujarat Enterprises is the top company in India with creative and accountable food ingredient solutions. To make robust food products with high quality, we maintain a level of integrity and authenticity in providing the ingredients. Our idea is to create food additives that enhance the quality, help the clients’ business grow, and serve their consumers the best.

If you want to create high-quality modified starch that can enhance your food products, contact us now.

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