Starch Pros

October 13_^th 2022

Loryma offers wheat starch as an adhesive with gloss finish.

Loryma launches Lory Starch Opal, a spray-on adhesive for seeds and other decorative food seasonings. The spray is made from pregelatinized wheat starch with a focus on solubility to ease its ability to be sprayed on.

The spray design makes for a hygienic application, as the typical methods of using brushes or immersion baths do not contact the dough. The product can be sprayed onto baked goods for boutique creators or used at high volumes for industrial production.

Loryma is a German-based global producer of distributed wheat proteins and native and modified wheat starches. The company explains that its adhesive’s production process reduces waste compared to current adherent food options.

“If the decorative additions stay on the substrate throughout the entire production and packaging process, there is less food waste and the whole process is more hygienic, which is obviously desirable for manufacturers,” according to Norbert Klein, head of product development at Loryma.

“Manufacturers want fewer rejects, while consumers want an appetizing product. Lory Starch Opal meets both these demands: decor, grains and seeds adhere firmly and with a glossy surface, the baked goods make a fresher impression. Food waste due to material loss is thus reduced to everyone’s satisfaction.”

The adhesive comes from a fine, white, free-flowing powder mixed with water to dissolve, creating an instant product that does not sediment. It has a very low, cold viscosity, which makes it possible for the solution to be sprayed.

Loryma underscores that by food producers using their product to stick seeds and other decorative toppers onto foods, food waste can be reduced. The company says this method will work due to its product being stickier than others with its ability to grab more seasonings and waste less.

According to the Food and Agriculture Association, 1.3 billion metric tons of food are wasted yearly, including about 20% of the total seed production.

Klein spoke on the extensive possible applications of Starch Opal, saying it could extend into breakfast cereals to reduce the amount of sugar used. “Flakes and extruded products usually have high-sugar coatings. These products are often consumed by children and a reduction of the sugar content is therefore desirable.”

He states that part of the reason for the high sugar content is its adhesive properties. “For example, for the adhesion of additions such as nuts for gloss and crunchiness. If one part of Lory Starch Opal is added to the usual sugar suspension, the final product can be reduced in sugar without functional limitations.”

“Lory Starch Opal can also be used as a vegan alternative for milk or egg components and promises a glossy finish, thus helping to enhance the look of the finished product,” he says.

Source: https://www.snackandbakery.com/articles/99552-loryma-debuts-pregelatinized-wheat-starch

October 06^th 2022

Health ingredient specialist BENEO has opened a new rice starch production line in a special inauguration event.

Following a €50 million (US$49.4 million) investment, the capacity of BENEO’s Belgium facility has risen by 50%.

Attendees included Nadia Lapage (Secretary General FEVIA 1 Flanders), Carl Devlies (Alderman of City of Leuven), Dominic Speleers (Member of Executive Board of BENEO), Christoph Boettger (Member of Executive Board of BENEO) and Roland Vanhoegaerden (Operations Managing Director for BENEO’s Rice Ingredients). The addition of the new line increases production capacity at BENEO’s Wijgmaal facility in Belgium by 50%, allowing the company to continue meeting growing demand for its clean label rice ingredients.

BENEO is a global provider of rice flour, starch and protein for the food and feed industry and the company’s unique rice derivatives are used in the production of a wide range of clean label products. The increasing demand for natural and clean label ingredients, in a wide range of applications, has led to BENEO’s production line expansion.

Roland Vanhoegaerden, Operations Managing Director for BENEO’s rice ingredients said: “From bakery and dairy to confectionery and baby food products, the demand is growing for our clean label ingredients. Here at BENEO we believe in investing for the long-term, and with the addition of this new rice starch production line, we have built even more resilience into our rice portfolio. As food manufacturers continue to move away from artificial additives and replace them with natural alternatives, we are well placed to meet their needs with our rice starch ingredients.”

The impact is on cost saving, but also on the environment, due to lower carbon emissions and a reduction in traffic. Our factory is in the middle of an urban area and by increasing barge use, we can reduce congestion and noise levels in the neighbourhood

The plant in Wijgmaal has a proud 160-year history in the area and BENEO has been significantly investing in the facility in recent years, to make it a frontrunner in sustainability. With the new production line BENEO’s water consumption at the Wijgmaal site stays the same while the production capacity increases by 50% at the same time. This is possible thanks to a two-step process of cleansing: first contaminants are separated from the used water by an evaporator. The condensate is in turn purified in a second step, resulting in water of drinking quality.

The plant receives two-thirds of rice raw material by barge and just one- third by truck due to another investment taken a few years ago.

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Vanhoegaerden continued: “The impact is on cost saving, but also on the environment, due to lower carbon emissions and a reduction in traffic. Our factory is in the middle of an urban area and by increasing barge use, we can reduce congestion and noise levels in the neighbourhood. All in all, the addition of the new line increases our production capacity, enabling us to continue meeting growing demand for our clean label rice ingredients, whilst minimising our impact on the environment and neighbourhood.”

Source: https://nutraceuticalbusinessreview.com/news/article_page/BENEO_opens_additional_rice_starch_production_line/204029

October 03^rd 2022

China restricts exports of corn starch, signaling supply worries.

• Government wants to stabilize prices and curb inflation risks.
• Starch is shipped to the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand.

China has curbed exports of corn starch in a signal that the world’s biggest corn importer is likely worried about local supplies.

The government has asked companies to suspend shipments to stabilize corn prices and contain inflation risks, according to Ma Wenfeng, a senior analyst at the Beijing Orient Agribusiness Consultant Co. Corn starch is commonly used as an ingredient to thicken soups and sauces or for paper products and adhesives.

Despite the relatively small volume of exports, the move underscores Beijing’s concerns over grain supplies and rising prices. China imports corn mainly from the US, which may face a smaller harvest this season, and Ukraine, where shipments are choked off after Russia’s invasion. While China produces most of the corn it consumes, poor weather has threatened output.

“Corn prices are high and cheaper Ukraine supplies cannot be shipped easily,” Ma said. “Exporting corn starch would further push up domestic prices.”

Traders and processors that Bloomberg spoke to confirmed the curbs, without giving details on how the notice was communicated. The agriculture ministry didn’t respond to requests for comment. Monday is a public holiday in China.

Customs data show China’s corn starch exports fell to just 900 tons in August from more than 40,000 tons in July and 23,240 tons a year earlier. The product is shipped mainly to the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.

Global benchmark corn prices have jumped about 15% this year amid the war in Ukraine and adverse weather in major producing regions including the US and Europe. To reduce supply risks, China has tried to diversify its corn imports and is accelerating shipments from Brazil.

Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-03/china-restricts-corn-starch-exports

September o1^st 2022

LG Chem and ADM to build two bioplastic facilities in Decatur, Illinois (USA).

LG Chem Ltd., the largest Korean chemical firm, has reportedly announced a partnership with the US-based food processing organization Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM) to build two manufacturing plants in Illinois, USA.

The production facilities will be manufacturing biodegradable plastics that are extensively used in food packaging applications.

In a press release, the South Korean chemical giant stated that the two companies would be constructing a plant to generate 75,000 tons of PLA or polylactic acid annually in Decatur under the two joint ventures.

The construction of a separate facility will take place in the same location to generate a feedstock for PLA, up to 150,000 tons of pure corn-based lactic acid.

The demand for PLA, a bioplastic created from natural materials like sugar cane and corn starch, is rising quickly as a substitute for plastics generated using fossil fuels. Lactic acid, its primary ingredient, is produced through the fermentation of corn starch. The 100% bio-based plastic takes several months to decompose naturally and can be used to make tableware or food containers.

As per reports, the company will release detailed information about the investment size and breakdown in H1 2023. The construction will begin in 2023 and is aimed to be completed in 2025.

Post the project’s completion, LG Chem will become the first Korean firm to establish a PLA factory.

According to Shin Hak-cheol, CEO of LG Chem, the strategic partnership is one of the sustainable growth initiatives that may directly contribute to alleviating environmental problems, including climate change and plastic waste.

The demand for biodegradable plastics has increased due to the continual efforts made by multinational corporations to go green.

As per LG Chem, the size of the global bioplastics industry, which is projected to be $10.2 billion this year, will increase to around $25.9 billion by 2026.

Source: https://investors.adm.com/news/news-details/2022/LG-Chem-and-ADM-Launch-Joint-Ventures-Announce-Intended-Location-for-U.S.-Production-of-Lactic-Acid-and-Polylactic-Acid-Production/default.aspx

Source: https://www.lgchem.com/company/information-center/press-release/news-detail-9095?lang=en_GLOBAL

August 31^st 2022

Drug release could be tailored by adapting the type of starch used and the tablet shape, highlighting the promise of 3D printing for future personalised drug delivery applications.

Researchers from UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country, Spain, have successfully produced different types of starch-based pharmaceutical tablets using 3D printing.

The aim of the study, published in the International Journal of Pharmaceutics, was to produce 3D printed starch-based tablets for the tailored delivery of hydrophobic drugs. Hydrophobic drugs – those that poorly water soluble – account for some 40% of marketed drugs and the 60% of the drug candidates in research, the paper notes.

The researchers acknowledged that starch is widely used as an excipient in the pharmaceutical industry. However, they hypothesised that using starches from different botanical origin would lead to different drug release kinetics.

“We were able to prepare tablets based on three types of starch – two types of maize starch (normal and waxy) and one type of potato starch – with different geometries and loaded with a non-soluble drug,” noted Kizkitza González, author of the study and member of UPV/EHU’s Materials+Technologies Group.

First, the gelatinisation parameters of the three starches and the printability of their inks were analysed using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and rheological measurements.

The three types of starch displayed appropriate rheological properties, although in the case of potato starch the printing process turned out to be more laborious.

Second, the influence of the botanical origin on the morphology, mechanical properties and swelling capacity of the 3D-printed tablets was evaluated.

“We observed the importance of the botanic origin of the starch in practically all the properties, such as porous microstructure, the formation of a stable network or the release of the drug,” said González.

“In the case of normal maize starch, drug release is instantaneous and the drug is fully released within 10 minutes; in the case of waxy maize starch and potato starch, release is more continuous and can take up to six hours for full release,” she added.

The researchers were also able to demonstrate the importance of tablet geometry in drug release.

Finally, tablets combining different types of starch were printed, indicating how release can take place in two stages.

González explained: “For example, in the case of an infection, in an initial stage using normal maize starch, a medicine could be released immediately to alleviate pain, and in a subsequent stage, with either of the other two types of starch, an antibiotic could be released more continuously.”

González stressed that the work is only the first stage in a long process, but she maintains that “the starch-based 3D printed tablets they produced displayed promising properties for future personalised drug delivery applications”.

Source: https://www.europeanpharmaceuticalreview.com/news/174054/3d-printing-of-starch-based-tablets-for-personalised-drug-delivery/

August 21^st 2022

Perfect decomposition: This Goa startup’s alternative to plastic wrappers is made of corn starch.

A small shampoo sachet is, by definition, a single-use plastic. Usually torn and used within a month of its purchase, it is quickly discarded and often ends up choking landfills and polluting the nearby environment.

However, imagine if this sachet could instead decompose with no harm to the environment in just three months.

This is what is promised by LaFabrica Craft Pvt Ltd, a company based in Margao, Goa that designs ecofriendly products for common plastic packaging items. The company has recently developed fully biodegradable shampoo sachets and chutney packets using a natural biopolymer.

This is a material derived from organic substances such as corn and tapioca starch, seaweed and casein (a cow milk protein).

“We use corn and tapioca starch as this is easily available, along with some other additives to make a polymer called polybutylene adipate terephthalate or PBAT,” Sachin Gangadharan, a co-founder of the company, said.“From this, we have made a material called Phimer that degrades in 90 days, unlike other PBAT items in the market that can take twice as long,” he claimed.

LaFabrica has partnered with Phitons Bioengineering, a Bengaluru-based biotechnology company, to make Phimer. “Most biopolymers are imported from other countries and can be expensive. Hence, we wanted to offer a homegrown solution that is affordable,” Sonja Coates, co-founder and director of LaFabrica, said.

Plastic alternatives have increasingly gained focus in recent years, amid reduced use of the products made by the polluting material. These alternatives include bamboo, banana fibre, coconut husk and paper or cardboard.

LaFabrica has also designed such products, for instance, a paper beverage container that can be used for food delivery or takeaway orders. The container comes with a lid that interlocks on its own, eliminating the need for plastic tape to secure it.

“The container is lined with a thin biopolymer film made of polylactic acid or PLA that is derived from corn starch biopolymer and is widely available,” Gangadharan said. He has also made wallets that interlock in the same way. Both products are planned for launch soon.

An architect by training, Gangadharan’s first products were biodegradable paper carry bags and pouches. “I had always been curious about how a paper can be designed to help achieve better use. I started experimenting with and redesigning paper bags to enable them to carry more weight,” he said.

LaFabrica’s bags, which have been patented for their design, can carry up to 20 kg of weight. The company tries to keep prices competitive, Gangadharan said; for instance, the pouches are priced at Rs 2.2 each. Sumehr Gwalani, a Goa-based entrepreneur who runs a shrimp delivery startup, has been sourcing packing pouches from LaFabrica for more than a year. “The company was able to modify the order according to our needs. We found it to be completely biodegradable and our customers appreciate it,” he said. The company plans to keep experimenting with more products, Gangadharan said.

Source: https://www.lafabricacraft.com/

July 27^th 2022

Want to combine two fluids? Researchers have developed a path to optimize the stirrer form and velocity to provide the perfect end result.

Understanding how fluids combine is vital for purposes starting from the mixing of meals and cosmetics to the monitoring of plastic particles in Earth’s oceans. Using a supercomputer, Peter Schmid of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia, and Maximillian Eggl of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany, have now discovered a collection of stirrer shapes and stirring velocities to extra successfully combine two fluids. Videos of their simulations illustrate the best way adjustments in each components can drastically alter how homogeneous the system takes care of mixing.

In their simulations, Schmid and Eggl poured two liquids right into a cylindrical container. They then positioned into the container two round stirrers, which they moved for a set time on the similar fixed velocity in a round, clockwise path across the cylinder. This “control” simulation exhibits {a partially} blended system with giant areas the place the unique fluids stay unmixed.

The duo then adjusted the stirrers’ shapes to optimize the blending of the fluids. They discovered higher mixing—a extra homogeneous system as soon as stirring halted—when the stirrers had irregular shapes. The prime stirrer resembled a fairy’s star-shaped wand, whereas the opposite appeared like a pooper-scooper. These stirrers induced within the system extra vortices, which improved mixing.

Once Schmid and Eggl had finalized the shapes of their stirrers, they then adjusted the speed at which the stirrers moved. They discovered that the perfect mixing occurred if the highest stirrer traveled sooner than the underside one, with each shifting clockwise initially after which the underside one taking a small, counterclockwise leap on the finish.

Finally, the duo had the pc concurrently modify stirrer form and velocity. Doing that, they discovered that the perfect stirrers had smoother edges and fewer excessive shapes. The star-shaped wand was rounded right into a canine-tooth-like form, whereas the pooper-scooper was remodeled right into a stubby tadpole. For the stirrer movement, the 2 stirrers now not moved in the identical route. Rather, the highest stirrer moved counterclockwise and the underside clockwise, with the 2 showing to pinch the interface between the 2 fluids. At the top of the simulations, the stirrers jiggled forwards and backwards, an motion that created extra vortices, making mixing extra environment friendly.

While Schmid and Eggl acknowledge that the majority industries wouldn’t implement such irregular stirrer shapes or stirring strategies, they hope that their findings may shift how individuals take into consideration the blending of fluids.

Source: https://journals.aps.org/prfluids/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.7.073904

July 29^th 2022

Diet with resistant starch reduces cancer risk in Lynch syndrome.

A trial spanning more than 20 years and almost 1,000 participants worldwide has found an important result – people with a condition that gives them a higher chance of developing certain cancers can reduce the risk of some of those cancers by more than 60 percent, simply by adding more resistant starch to their diets.

In fact, the results were so compelling when it came to cutting the risk of upper gastrointestinal (GI) cancers specifically that the researchers are now looking to replicate them to ensure they’re not missing anything.

“We found that resistant starch reduces a range of cancers by over 60 percent. The effect was most obvious in the upper part of the gut,” says lead researcher and nutritionist John Mathers from Newcastle University in the UK.

Upper GI cancers include esophageal, gastric, and pancreatic cancers.

“The results are exciting, but the magnitude of the protective effect in the upper GI tract was unexpected, so further research is required to replicate these findings,” adds one of the researchers, Tim Bishop, a genetic epidemiologist from the University of Leeds.

Resistant starch is a type of starch that passes through the small intestine and then ferments in the large intestine, where it feeds beneficial gut bacteria. It can be bought as a fiber-like supplement, and is naturally in a range of foods, including slightly green bananas, oats, cooked and cooled pasta and rice, peas, and beans.

The double-blind trial was carried out between 1999 and 2005 and involved a group of 918 people with a condition known as Lynch syndrome. Lynch syndrome is one of the most common genetic predispositions to cancer that we know of, with around one in 300 people estimated to carry an associated gene.

Those who’ve inherited Lynch syndrome genes have a significantly increased risk of developing colorectal cancer, as well as gastric, endometrial, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, urinary tract, kidney, bile duct, small bowel, and brain cancers.

To figure out how they could reduce this risk, participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups, with 463 unknowingly given a daily 30 gram dose of resistant starch in powdered form for two years – roughly the equivalent of eating a not-quite-ripe banana daily.

Another 455 people with Lynch syndrome took a daily placebo that looked like powdered starch but didn’t contain active ingredients.

The two groups were then followed up 10 years later. The results of this follow-up are what the researchers have just published.

In the follow-up period, there had only been 5 new cases of upper gastrointestinal (GI) cancers among the 463 people who’d taken the resistant starch. This is in comparison with 21 cases of upper GI cancer among the 455 people in the placebo group – a pretty remarkable reduction.

“This is important as cancers of the upper GI tract are difficult to diagnose and often are not caught early on,” says Mathers.

However, there was one area where the resistant starch didn’t make much difference – in the rate of bowel cancers.

Further work is needed to figure out exactly what’s going on here, but the team has some ideas.

“We think that resistant starch may reduce cancer development by changing the bacterial metabolism of bile acids and to reduce those types of bile acids that can damage our DNA and eventually cause cancer,” says Mathers.

“However, this needs further research.”

To be clear, this trial was carried out on people already genetically predisposed to developing cancer and doesn’t necessarily apply to the broader public. But there could be a lot to learn by better understanding how resistive starch can help protect against cancer.

The original trial was called the CAPP2 study, and the team are now carrying out a follow-up called CaPP3, involving more than 1,800 people with Lynch syndrome.

While it may sound concerning that the rate of colorectal cancers didn’t seem affected by the resistive starch, don’t worry, the study had good news on that front, too.

The original trial also looked at whether taking aspirin daily could reduce cancer risk. Back in 2020, the team published results showing that aspirin reduced the risk of large bowel cancers in Lynch syndrome patients by 50 percent.

“Patients with Lynch syndrome are high risk as they are more likely to develop cancers, so finding that aspirin can reduce the risk of large bowel cancers and resistant starch other cancers by half is vitally important,” says Newcastle University geneticist Sir John Burns who ran the trial with Mathers.

“Based on our trial, NICE [the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence] now recommend Aspirin for people at high genetic risk of cancer, the benefits are clear – aspirin and resistant starch work.”

Source: https://aacrjournals.org/cancerpreventionresearch/article/doi/10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-22-0044/707189/Cancer-Prevention-with-Resistant-Starch-in-Lynch

July 18^th 2022

GPC unveils Fybrin: High-fiber resistant starch with vast reformulation capabilities.

Grain Processing Corporation (GPC) has introduced Fybrin, a corn-based resistant starch, low on calories, that can be used in formulations to achieve high fiber claims. Fybrin can be applied in pasta, tortillas, pizzas and even beverages.

The company unveiled its product in the US, with plans to launch internationally in the near future.

“Our company is very focused on fiber and growing into that area, just with the many health benefits of fiber, anything from gut health to calorie reduction. Fiber covers many of those health points,” states Kelly Belknap, business development manager.

“There’s just an overall increased recognition between the role that fiber plays in overall health, from anything from satiety to weight management, to immunity. With COVID-19 we’ve all been researching how to boost our immune systems.”

GPC’s Fybrin has 85% to 90% fiber and 54 calories per 100 g. In comparison, according to GPC, a typical starch would be around 400 calories.

Nine out of ten women and 97% of men do not meet the recommended intake of dietary fiber, according to the business. A similar finding than the one of Tate & Lyle that flagged that only 9% of UK adults met the daily recommended fiber intake.

90% of women and 97% of men do not meet the recommended intake of dietary fiber, according to GPC.

Source: https://www.grainprocessing.com/news-insights/fiber-rich-comfort-foods-on-display-at-ift

July 12^th 2022

Pea starch helps Lamb Weston reduce supply chain snags, trim food waste.

Alternative ingredient usage has helped food and beverage companies maintain production levels in a time of frequent supply shocks. The global supply of wheat, which starch is often made of, has been tight due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and extreme weather.

Starch was among the inputs for which Lamb Weston executives have reported significant cost inflation for in the past three quarters, according to earnings calls. It was “particularly challenging” to obtain earlier this year, General Mills Group President of North America Retail Jon Nudi said on a March earnings call. This led the company to adjust product formulations — as many as 20 times in some cases — to keep shelves stocked.

Replacing traditional ingredients can also benefit sustainability goals. Lamb Weston’s supplier’s pea starch is Upcycled Certified, per its ESG report. Upcycled products create products out of food that otherwise would have been wasted and contributed to greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Upcycled Food Association. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates 30% to 40% of the country’s food supply is wasted.

For a product to be Upcycled Certified by the association, it must have 10% or more upcycled ingredients by weight or meet a threshold for tonnage diverted by sales tier.

“We are able to help eliminate food waste by using this starch as a value-added ingredient,” Lamb Weston President and CEO Tom Werner said in the report.

How much pea starch Lamb Weston is using versus traditional starches and how much food waste it has avoided through the alternative is unclear. The company did not respond to a request for comment. However, cutting supply chain food waste is a high priority for Lamb Weston. Its 2030 goals include reducing food waste from the production process by 50%, versus a 2020 baseline.

Lamb Weston has used other upcycling methods to further reduce its food waste. The company uses potato pieces too short to be fries in other items like hash brown patties. Other potato byproducts are “refined into a specialized starch” for coatings and batters, the ESG report says.

Source: https://news.lambweston.com/newsroom-home/default.aspx