Tate and Lyle : & Lyle Showcases Texture Innovation with Introduction of Instant Starches and Suite of Texture Design Tools

With texture claims such as 'crispy' and 'crunchy' increasingly shaping consumer taste perceptions, manufacturers are tasked with developing textures that yield key functional attributes whilst delivering on the taste and texture that consumers crave.

'The structural and functional properties of instant starches impact a unique set of textural attributes,' said Werner Barbosa, Platform Lead, Texturants for Tate & Lyle. 'To be effective, instant starches must deliver specific attributes for a wide variety of categories and applications. That is why Tate & Lyle has introduced new thickeners and film formers, delivering extraordinary foods and beverages and ensuring a full sensory experience that consumers expect.'

The three latest instant starches are highlighted below:

More than 75 instant starches are in the Tate & Lyle portfolio, including instant thickeners, emulsifiers, gelling, film-forming and clean-label starches, all of which have functional properties to create a variety of food experiences consumers expect. Tate & Lyle's new instant starches are all non-GMO and optimal in providing key textural attributes specific to use in snacks, bakery and fillings, and soups, sauces and dressings.

The Right Tools for Richer Texture

In addition to the new instant starches, Tate & Lyle is investing in the development of TEXTURE-VANTAGE® Expert Systems, a response to customer demands for more predictive tools informing product performance. Choosing the right texturiser can be a lengthy and difficult process, as it requires time-consuming and costly research to understand how other components of the formula influence texturisers. To address this challenge, Tate & Lyle has begun development of a suite of texture design tools to help take the guesswork out of common - and not so common - formulation challenges.

The TEXTURE-VANTAGE® suite of tools is being developed for use by Tate & Lyle scientists to help customers address their formulation challenges more efficiently, resulting in ingredient solutions that lead to extraordinary eating experiences. In the future, some elements of the TEXTURE-VANTAGE® suite are going to be made available to Tate & Lyle customers to access directly, beginning with Texture University later this year.

The TEXTURE-VANTAGE® expert systems consist of the following:

• Texture Maps: Paired with interactive visualisation enhancements, Texture Maps predict attributes such as mouth clearing, firmness, elasticity, cutability, cohesiveness and melt-away - helping formulators to optimise products for consumer preference.

• Selection Charts: Tate & Lyle has translated complex relationships between ingredients' functionality, performance and application into simple, user-friendly starch selection charts that make it possible for their technical services representatives to work with their customers to quickly identify starches that are right for their application.

• WikiStarch: A proprietary encyclopaedia Tate & Lyle staff use to solve formulation challenges, WikiStarch is focused on texture science and starch knowledge. WikiStarch enables users to search the encyclopaedia on a variety of topics, such as starch functional properties, manufacturing, applications and regulations. Food and beverage manufacturers can now work with Tate & Lyle scientists to use WikiStarch to research formulation alternatives.

• Texture University: Webinars are led by Tate & Lyle scientists who offer top-notch expertise on ingredient functionality and product design. This knowledge is based on a four-year curriculum initially developed for Tate & Lyle scientists. Texture University curriculum is designed to develop a deep understanding of the interaction between ingredients, application and processing.

As a formulation-centric technology, Tate & Lyle's TEXTURE-VANTAGE® suite of tools brings together a rare combination of functional insights, interactive starch selection tools and predictive modelling. According to Judy Whaley, VP, Global R&D, Texturants: 'No one in the industry is providing similar platforms that enable scientists to design solutions to texture formulation challenges. TEXTURE-VANTAGE works together to provide a much richer experience with lasting educational significance for participants.'

Tate & Lyle is investing in these cutting-edge tools and is inviting food and beverage manufacturers to work with its scientists as they apply these tools to efficiently solve their formulation challenges.

To learn more about Tate & Lyle's new instant starches and TEXTURE-VANTAGE®, visit us at booth S2806 during IFT18 at McCormick Place in Chicago and experience a live demonstration of the tools and programmes.

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