Ingredion Develops Multi-Functional Rice Flours, Delivering Clean Appeal to Consumers

09 Jun 2017 --- Researchers at Ingredion’s Idea Labs have developed a line of HOMECRAFT Create multi-functional rice flours that help food manufacturers respond to consumer demand for smooth, silky textures in clean label and gluten-free products.

The development marks the first time manufacturers will be able to convert to a highly desirable “rice flour” label while at the same time achieving the robust functionality, stability and shelf life previously associated with the use of hydrocolloids, modified starches and other ingredients not considered clean label.

The new range of ingredients first will be available to food manufacturers in the United States, Canada and Asia-Pacific following the IFT17 Annual Meeting and Food Expo.

The solution adds to a clean and simple ingredient solutions portfolio that started to develop more than 20 years ago. Ingredion has invested in growing this portfolio as consumer demand for clean and simple labels has grown.

Daniel Haley, director of the global Wholesome Springboard at Ingredion spoke with FoodIngredientsFirst: “Whilst there are other rice flours available on the market, HOMECRAFT multi-functional rice flours are the first to offer such high degrees of process tolerance. This means that they can be used in demanding large-scale food production processes without losing their ability to thicken and stabilize the finished product effectively.”

He adds: “We are also able to maintain the inherent indulgent texture, flavor release and opacity that rice flour is known for and other cereal sources cannot deliver.”

Ingredion was the first company to develop functional native rice starches which were already launched globally,” Haley notes. “We continue to develop new clean and simple ingredient solutions and our customers can expect to see an extension of our range of HOMECRAFT multi-functional flours later in 2017.”

“This particular range took just over a year to develop, fast-tracked by drawing on our global network of Idea Labs and scientists. Teams in Asia-Pacific, USA and EMEA collaborated to make this happen, leveraging new process technology and recently commissioned manufacturing assets in Thailand,” he explains.

Proprietary research conducted to understand the labeling preferences of consumers in North America and the Asia Pacific region found “rice flour” to be one of the most accepted common ingredients used in the food and beverage industry. Researchers found a significantly higher proportion of US and APAC consumers preferred “rice flour” over other ingredients.

“Ingredion has been a pioneer in the clean label movement and in understanding consumer attitudes and preferences towards specific ingredients and claims,” says Haley.

“The exciting development of HOMECRAFT Create multi-functional rice flours, leveraging our recent investments in Asia-Pacific, reflects the continued commitment of researchers working in this area at our global network of Ingredion Idea Labs innovation centers,” he explains.

The ingredient first will be introduced in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, at IFT17, which runs from June 24-28.

“The demand for clean and simple labels continues to climb in North America, and consumers are expecting front-of-box claims to be supported by ingredient statements,” said Angelina De Castro, senior marketing manager of Ingredion’s Wholesome Springboard in North America.

“Providing highly functional rice flours with added stability and enhanced texture allows our customers to design new products that are as close as possible to what consumers would expect in an authentic recipe,” she notes.

by Elizabeth Green

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