Tate & Lyle Launches New Line of Clean Label Starches

01 Oct 2014 --- Tate & Lyle has launched Claria Functional Clean-Label Starches, a range which is designed to provide manufacturers similar functionality to modified food starch plus the added benefits of a clean taste and clean label.

The launch comes just days after the company issued a profit warning, due to an “extremely difficult performance for its first half year”.

The new range, CLARIA Functional Clean-Label Starches, is also designed to enable manufacturers to meet increasing consumer demand for simpler ingredient lists, according to the company. This trend is supported by the fact that nearly 25% of new product launches globally were positioned as label-friendly in 2013 (Innova Market Insights).

“Tate & Lyle recognised the need for a high-performing starch with similar functionality to a modified starch with all the benefits of a clean label”, said Esther Van Onselen, Global Marketing Category Director, Texturants and Convenience Foods at Tate & Lyle. “Although consumers demand simpler ingredient labels, taste and product experience are still primary drivers. The CLARIA line helps provide a solution to address both of these needs”.

CLARIA Functional Clean-Label Starches outperform other clean-label starches when it comes to meeting consumer expectations for taste, texture and appearance. Internal colorimetric and sensory testing demonstrated that the CLARIA line has a very neutral flavour profile and colour that is comparable to modified starches. This facilitates their incorporation in food categories that have historically had limited options with functional clean-label starches.

In addition to meeting high sensory standards, CLARIA Functional Clean-Label Starches enable manufacturers to formulate with similar functionality of a modified food starch. The patent-pending technology of the CLARIA line enables tolerance to shear, heat and acid, even under extreme conditions like ultra-high-temperatures (UHT) and homogenisation. It also demonstrates high thickening efficiency and texture consistency over time.

“Tate & Lyle’s technology is unique in the marketplace because it enables the use of a simple “starch” label and similar performance to modified starches, with a clean taste and neutral colour. The technical and scientific advancement lies in Tate & Lyle’s proprietary processing, which allows the CLARIA starch granules to remain intact throughout different processing conditions”, said Werner Barbosa, Platform Leader, Texturants at Tate & Lyle.

CLARIA Functional Clean-Label Starches are versatile across a broad range of applications and sophisticated processes including soups, sauces, dressings, prepared meals and yoghurt. The full line includes three products that have different levels of process tolerance: CLARIA Essential, CLARIA Plus and CLARIA Elite.

Food and beverage manufacturers in North America, Europe, China, Australasia and Latin America can now partner with Tate & Lyle to formulate with the CLARIA line. “We have a world-class team of applications experts eager to co-create with manufacturers to bring the next generation of cleaner-label products to market with CLARIA Functional Clean-Label Starches”, said Jim Carr, Director Food Applications, Tate & Lyle. “With our extensive expertise in ingredient formulation, we can help customers solve their texture challenges across a wide range of applications”.

With the introduction of CLARIA Functional Clean-Label Starches, Tate & Lyle offers manufacturers more choice to develop label-friendly new products. The CLARIA line forms part of a full portfolio of label-friendly solutions including SODA-LO Salt Microspheres, TASTEVA Stevia Sweetener, PUREFRUIT Monk Fruit Extract, PROMITOR Soluble Gluco Fibre and PromOat Beta Glucan.

The company, which owns low-calorie sweetener Splenda, announced a profit warning on 23 September this year. The company reported of supply constraints due to severe weather in the US, which caused problems with US corn plants. Its supply chain was also affected by an industrial incident at its Singapore plant.

“The Group’s performance in the first half has been extremely disappointing as we have faced significant manufacturing and supply chain challenges, and intense competition in Splenda Sucralose,” said chief executive Javed Ahmed.