High amylose leads to more flexible native pea starch

11-Jul-2010 - Last updated on 19-Jul-2010 at 12:34 GMT

Related tags Starch

Better thickening, gelling and film-forming properties than other starches thanks to a high amylose content are the benefits claimed for the native pea starch from food ingredients company American Key Products.

A clean label alternative to modified starches with an amylose content of 35 percent, the product‘s water binding properties can be applied in the meat and fish sectors and with gel formation for baking and dairy products.

Like modified starches, pea starch is said to be stable under high temperature, acid and shear and can be used for fhe aseptic processing of meats, soups and sauces.

Extruded snacks

The product’s stability is also useful for enhancing crispness and improving volume in extruded snacks, claims the company.

Hot viscosity of pea starch remains low and stable, reaching high values only after cooling. “Rapid increase of viscosity during cooling produces a strong, firm and sliceable gel, which is an advantage in cheese and meat applications,” according to a company statement. “Pea starch also forms a gel at a much lower usage level than other starches at about 4% compared with 10-20 percent (for other starches).”

In addition to starches, American Key Food Products is a supplier of a wide range of food ingredients, including starches, spices, nuts and seeds.

Meanwhile, the global starch market will recover from the recessionary trends in worldwide economy soon, according to a report from Global Industry Analysts Inc. published earlier this year.

Its report, Starch: A Global Strategic Business Report, notes that the sector’s growth has been benefited from a significant widening of applications for the use of starch.

The report also highlights the growing consumption of liquid starches and modified starches due to rising personal disposable incomes. Liquid starches will remain the largest sector in this market over the next five years.

Fastest growth

But the modified starch market is predicted to show the fastest growth. This reflects increasing health awareness together with growing functional and nutritional needs in global economies, which require the use of innovative modified starches.

The US represents the largest market for starch accounting for about 51 percent in the total volume of starch consumed last year.

Asia-Pacific is the region where starch consumption is growing fastest.