Limagrain Launches Functional Flours for Clean Label and Gluten-Free Pasta

16 Feb 2015 --- Ingredients specialists Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients (LCI) offers naturally gluten-free functional flours that make it possible to produce clean label, gluten-free pasta with sensorial properties close to durum wheat pasta.

“Producing gluten-free pasta is not easy as the absence of the gluten network leads to big difficulties when producing pasta, and typically leads to considerable stickiness of the final product after cooking,” explains Dr Walter Lopez of LCI (Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients). “Moreover, many gluten-free formulations are not clean label and contain additives such as modified starches or gums.”

To meet these challenges, LCI entered into a collaboration with the team of Professor Alessandro Del Nobile from the Italian University of Foggia in southern Italy and, thanks to this collaboration, Westhove Maize 23 was born.

This is a gluten-free functional maize flour specifically made for obtaining gluten-free pasta with sensorial properties close to durum wheat pasta. And it is important to note that Westhove Maize 23 is a 100% clean label solution.

Dr Lopez adds that, in addition to this technical solution for gluten-free pasta, LCI also offers a wide range of nutritional ingredients without gluten: “For example, Westhove chickpea is a debittered functional flour made from chickpea which allows users to incorporate more protein and dietary fibre, while increasing pasta stability.

“Also we can offer Westhove whole maize - a stabilised wholegrain flour (inactivation of lipase and lipo oxigenase activities and a reduced microbial content). Its incorporation into pasta formulation will provide a great nutritional touch with the advantages of germ and bran, giving more fibre, more minerals and more vitamins.”