Beneo unveils breakthrough rice starch at Fi Europe Connect for use in confectionery and bakery
Global ingredients group Beneo is launching what is believed to be a market first for use in confectionery and bakery with its new functional native rice starch, Remypure S52 P, at this year’s Fi Europe Connect virtual event, reports Neill Barston.
As the business explained to Confectionery Production, its latest solution comes in response to a growing drive naturally-produced product ranges, and it enables food manufacturers to produce clean label food preparations such as dairy desserts and bakery fillings.
According to Beneo, its latest ingredient, which will form a cor feature at its Fi Connect virtual booth, has been developed to deliver soft and creamy textures, specifically devised for its product stability, even under harsh processing conditions such as shear and acid.
Remypure S52 P is available now across the globe, enabling food producers to further embrace the clean label trend, using rice starch (rice plant pictured below). As consumers continue to avoid products that contain artificial ingredients, transparent and simple labels are on the rise worldwide. Recent research has shown that one in four food and beverages launches carry a clean label claim and this increases to one in three for sauces and seasonings.
Notably, applications such as bakery fillings or dairy desserts, traditionally have to withstand acidity and/or high shear during preparation, and it can be challenging to maintain optimal functionality under these conditions. The functional native texturiser Remypure S52 P provides manufacturers with a solution. As a pre-cooked starch performs just as well as modified starches in cold processing conditions that involve low pH and/or high shear, whilst being clean label at the same time.
As the company added, consumers worldwide are looking for authentic and natural ingredients. For example, half of UK and three out of five German consumers “intentionally avoid foods and/or beverages with artificial ingredients and look for natural products instead”. According to recent global research, when asked why consumers were interested in eating cleaner, almost three out of every five consumers (62%) said it was because it was healthier.
Having established itself in the functional ingredients market over the past 13 years, Beneo’s wider portfolio of plant-based ingredients help improve the nutritional and technical properties of a wide variety of products, including confectionery, by supporting health and optimising taste and texture. The Company’s portfolio includes functional carbohydrates from sugar beet, prebiotic chicory root fibre, plant-based proteins and speciality ingredients from rice.
Benoit Tavernier, Product Manager Specialty Rice Ingredients at BENEO commented on its latest starch system. He said: “With the increasing demand from consumers for transparent product labels, we are always looking for ways to help our customers meet these market demands.
“Remypure S52 P has been developed for food producers searching for an instant clean label texturiser for food preparations that can withstand harsh process conditions, whilst giving an additional creamy aspect to the texture of the end product. It is the first rice starch of its kind on the market for this type of application and has already been well received in a range of taste tests. With the now extended Remypure range of functional native rice starches, BENEO is well set to support existing and potential new customers in their development process of various new clean label products.”
In addition, speaking to Confectionery Production, Beneo’s marketing director Thomas Schmidt believed the new series is set to have a notable impact within a number of segments including wafers and baked ranges in particular.
He said: “We were very keen to have a clean label rice starch in our portfolio, as it is the first of its kind ever and it will bring new innovation. It’s something we are really proud of and will really benefit the industry.
“As far as confectionery and bakery are concerned, you can make sweet fillings with it, where you sometimes have very harsh process conditions, where you have high shear, where you need a certain level of stability, that’s where the benefit of this starch comes in. For this segment, it is particularly useful for wafer products that require thin layers, and in our trials of it so far we have seen some very good performances that have given us confidence.
“The fact that it is a clean label rice starch is significant, especially amid the coronavirus pandemic, as we have seen an increase in consumer interest in plant-based ranges and clear label. They have a clear need for healthy and more natural products. This has been a megatrend before, but this pandemic has amplified it and this latest introduction of ours comes at the right time to meet this demand, and the fact it is also dairy-free also adds another element for the production of vegan products.”
- The Beneo booth will be open at Fi Connect from 1 December, for more information visit the company’s site.
