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Functional Ingredient in Food Systems
Besides meeting nutritional requirement for humans, starch is widely used as thickening and gelling agents. They are used as flow agents and dusting powders, in dry
mixes (puddings and gravies), and as starch blends in salad dressings. Native potato
and waxy maize starches are used to provide desired product viscosity during filling
of cans prior to retorting. Unmodified tapioca and waxy maize starches are used in
packed foods like salad dressings and buttermilk due to improved stability. Native
high-amylose starches are used in batters and jelly gum candies. Generally, native
or unmodified form, starches have narrow applications in food industry as they produce undesirable pastes and gels. Foods made from such starches have inadequate
shelf stability and poor process tolerance during manufacturing. Prolonged holding,
followed by repeated freezing and thawing leads to deterioration of products made
from native starch. However, these limitations have been overcome to some extent
by introducing several modifications to starch. Due to such reasons, the applications
of starch as an functional ingredient has been widely in various food formulations
for gelling, thickening, increasing stability and replacing costly ingredients. Food
applications of starch are discussed below and also given in Table 1.
Food Applications of Starch
Starch as a Thickener
The usage of starch as a thickening agent makes it the most important functional
ingredient of the food industry. The reasoning involves the nonspecific linkage of
conformational disordered strands. The change in the viscosity of starch solutions is
Table
1 Functional
application of starch
Functions
Foods
Adhesion
Battered and breaded foods
Binding
Formed meat, snack seasoning
Clouding
Beverages
Crisping
Fried and baked food, snacks
Dusting
Chewing gum, bakery products
Emulsion stabilisation Beverages, creamers
Encapsulation
Flavours, beverage clouds
Expansion
Snacks, cereals
Fat replacement
Ice cream, salad dressing, spreads
Foam stabilisation
Marshmallows
Gelling
Gum drops, gelly gum centers
Glazing
Bakery, snacks
Moisture retention
Cakes, meats
Thickening
Gravies, pie fillings, soups
M. Ahmad et al.
Functional Ingredient in Food Systems
Besides meeting nutritional requirement for humans, starch is widely used as thickening and gelling agents. They are used as flow agents and dusting powders, in dry
mixes (puddings and gravies), and as starch blends in salad dressings. Native potato
and waxy maize starches are used to provide desired product viscosity during filling
of cans prior to retorting. Unmodified tapioca and waxy maize starches are used in
packed foods like salad dressings and buttermilk due to improved stability. Native
high-amylose starches are used in batters and jelly gum candies. Generally, native
or unmodified form, starches have narrow applications in food industry as they produce undesirable pastes and gels. Foods made from such starches have inadequate
shelf stability and poor process tolerance during manufacturing. Prolonged holding,
followed by repeated freezing and thawing leads to deterioration of products made
from native starch. However, these limitations have been overcome to some extent
by introducing several modifications to starch. Due to such reasons, the applications
of starch as an functional ingredient has been widely in various food formulations
for gelling, thickening, increasing stability and replacing costly ingredients. Food
applications of starch are discussed below and also given in Table 1.
Food Applications of Starch
Starch as a Thickener
The usage of starch as a thickening agent makes it the most important functional
ingredient of the food industry. The reasoning involves the nonspecific linkage of
conformational disordered strands. The change in the viscosity of starch solutions is
Table
1 Functional
application of starch
Functions
Foods
Adhesion
Battered and breaded foods
Binding
Formed meat, snack seasoning
Clouding
Beverages
Crisping
Fried and baked food, snacks
Dusting
Chewing gum, bakery products
Emulsion stabilisation Beverages, creamers
Encapsulation
Flavours, beverage clouds
Expansion
Snacks, cereals
Fat replacement
Ice cream, salad dressing, spreads
Foam stabilisation
Marshmallows
Gelling
Gum drops, gelly gum centers
Glazing
Bakery, snacks
Moisture retention
Cakes, meats
Thickening
Gravies, pie fillings, soups
M. Ahmad et al.