BENEO Targets Clean Label Trend With a New Functional Native Rice Starch

10 May 2016 --- BENEO is targeting the burgeoning clean label trend with the first functional native rice starch from the Group’s rice business unit [formerly known as BENEO-Remy]. Remypure, which is the biggest launch from this business unit in recent years, qualifies as having a natural and clean label status worldwide. It also shows very high stability under demanding process conditions [low pH, high temperatures and high shear], which is a very important element in the description of the product.

BENEO has just begun production of Remypure, with early commercial applications occurring in retorted sauces, dairy desserts, fruit preps and baby food. These are applications where the ingredient has shown its high stability under demanding process conditions. Capacity of several thousand tons exists for the product at the company’s Wijgmaal (Belgium) facility, and the line has been structured in a modular way, in order to be able to expand quickly and easily and therefore cope with the anticipated fast growth in sales volumes.

“Remypure provides food manufacturers with three decisive characteristics. This relates to: stability during the entire shelf-life, an excellent freeze thaw stability, and a very delicate texture. All of this while still having a very clean and pure taste,” Marc-Etienne Denis, Commercial Managing Director BENEO-Remy told FoodIngredientsFirst in a detailed interview.

Denis explained that the company’s existing portfolio is composed of native and modified rice starches, where the modification takes place in order to achieve more functionality in terms of providing texture and body. “Remypure is a native rice starch which has been functionalized through a specific process, whereby we increase the functionality of the rice starch. This means that it can still be considered native, natural and clean label, but with a level of performance that is comparable with chemically modified starches. BENEO successfully implemented a thermal inhibition process, which allows for the improvement of the functional properties, without the use of chemicals,” he noted. The company is working on further development of the product range. Denis was coy on specifics about the process itself.

Denis confirmed that the launch is the result of a major project, which ran for almost three years and required an investment of several million Euros.. “We have some industrial partners already, including some major names in the food industry. The strong feedback that we have received confirmed to us that Remypure is the right answer for an industry looking for high performance clean label ingredients,” he said. The commercial launch will happen this month with launch activities planned in the coming weeks.

Denis believes that Remypure will enable the company to target applications using alternatives sources of clean label starch, as rice is claimed to have a number of benefits. “The uniqueness of rice starch as an ingredient compared to other starches relate to its small granule size to benefit mouthfeel and the ratio of amylose and amylopectins, which will really give the texture and stability characteristics to the product. Rice is very white in color, so it does not disturb the color of the application. It is also well known for its hypoallergenic properties and its easy digestibility,” he adds. He is therefore eyeing opportunities in targeting customers now using clean label starches from other sources, who could make the switch to a rice starch based on these advantages.

Remypure is a premium product that will be sold at a slightly higher price to others in the portfolio. This higher price can be justified through the additional clean label value that the product can offer the industry. “The whole basis for Remypure is the increasing demand for natural and clean label products. The consumer wants this and we believe that this clean and clear label trend is more than that – it is the mainstream. We see this on a global level and we believe that this is a very sustainable trend that will continue,” he adds.

BENEO, which is part of the Südzucker Group, has four different product lines in place: Functional Fibers, Functional Carbohydrates, Functional Proteins and the Speciality Rice Ingredients business. Rice Ingredients account for 20-30% of the turnover of the BENEO business as a whole. But while Remypure is a major launch, Denis stresses that there are other platforms being assessed in rice ingredients, with gluten free and high protein demands also being met.

The gluten free market can still be considered somewhat of a niche today, but it is an incredibly fast growing one, with an evolution in expectations of the consumer for gluten free products. “The number of people suffering from celiac disease is just 1% of the population and those claiming to feel some discomfort when eating gluten is around 6%. But what we see in the past 2-3 years, is that the number of people regularly buying gluten free products is 21-28%. My personal interpretation is that when 1% is suffering, the whole family is consuming gluten free products. This is possible because the quality has increased so much,” Denis explains.

He notes that rice flour/starch/protein is gluten free, whereby rice has a major role to play as an important ingredient in the gluten free world. This market opportunity has led the company to test their products in numerous application areas. “We see applications in savory, ready meals or in sauces, using rice ingredients. We also see a lot of successful applications in bakery items such as bread, cake and biscuits. And there you can see different applications for rice, where you can use rice starch to prevent breakage in gluten free biscuits and rice flour as a substitute for wheat flour in cakes and breads. We are also active in applications like gluten free pasta and gluten free pizza crust,” he added.

Denis is confident that we have not yet reached the tipping point for gluten free. “When we conduct consumer surveys, we see that even the growth is not flattening, despite the very high speed of development. While the future is difficult to predict, we believe that BENEO’s rice ingredients business has a role to play in improving the quality of gluten free products and to help the food industry in proposing better items to the consumer,” he says.

High protein is another platform for growth for the rice ingredients business and Denis notes strong development in rice proteins in the past two years. While the most commonly used protein in the food industry is still dairy, there has been seismic growth in plant proteins, where rice protein has a role to play and a lot of benefits to offer. “Some of those are linked to the uniqueness of rice, in terms of the white color, in not affecting the final product and secondly the very neutral taste, which will not affect the organoleptic profile of the end product. Rice protein also allows for superior expansion rates in puffed products. Finally, it is recognized that the excellent nutrition profile of rice proteins compared to others,” says Denis. He notes that the clear nutritional and functional benefits of rice protein mean that it is appreciated in applications such as enriched bakery, but also developments in beverages and for companies, who are appreciating the qualities of rice in extruded products.

Denis explained that BENEO sources rice worldwide and has a number of strictly sourced suppliers, whether they are European, Asian or Latin American sources. “This allows us to cope with the evolution of the rice market and the impact of factors such as weather on the production of rice. It also allows us to phase specific demands and be able to offer a tailor-made solution,” he says. The company has two production sites dedicated to rice: one at the business units’ Wijgmaal headquarters and another milling plant in Italy [based in the rice growing area between Milan and Turin].

Denis is confident about the companies forward looking strategy that merges tradition with innovation. “Our rice activity started in the 1850s, so we have a long tradition, but still the wish to develop in terms of bringing rice further into the consumer mind. We claim to be the world leader in rice starch and today BENEO is the only non-Chinese food grade rice protein producer. Especially in rice starches and proteins, we want to position ourselves as an ideal partner for the food sector,” he concludes.

The launch of a functional clean label rice starch will certainly offer the type of on trend demand that consumers will be demanding from the industry. Gluten free and high protein options are also the apparent order of the day and therefore form a serious market opportunity for rice ingredients.

by Robin Wyers