Starch Pros

February 19^th 2021

Tate & Lyle completes acquisition of tapioca business in Thailand.

Tate & Lyle has completed the acquisition of an 85% shareholding in Chaodee Modified Starch, a tapioca modified food starch manufacturer located in Thailand. The signing of a conditional agreement for this acquisition was announced on 28 October 2020.

Nick Hampton, Chief Executive of Tate & Lyle, said: “We are delighted to welcome our new colleagues to Tate & Lyle. This acquisition extends our presence in speciality tapioca-based texturants and allows us to offer a broader range of tapioca-based solutions to meet customers’ needs for better tasting and clean label foods. It also establishes a dedicated production facility in the main tapioca area of eastern Thailand and expands our manufacturing footprint in the higher growth Asia Pacific region.”

Source: https://www.tateandlyle.com/news/tate-lyle-completes-acquisition-tapioca-business-thailand

February 04^th 2021

Gigantic Tummers washing line for Danish potato starch producer.

The results of a Tummers starch production line at a Danish starch factory are right to be called astonishing! Between September and December last year, this process line consisting of four of their biggest washing installations ran 10 hours a day, washing a mind-blowing 700,000 tonnes of potatoes.

Also, the expected yield of 130,000 tonnes of starch per season was easily exceeded by an astonishing 174,000 tonnes. A result to be proud of!

Prior to the mashing and drying of potatoes during potato starch production, their Destoner/washers receive the potatoes in order to clean them thoroughly.

The record breaking KW800-models which are running at the Danish potato starch factory are the biggest ones of their kind. These highly efficient washing machines run up to 175 tonnes per hour and are particularly known for their low-maintenance and user-friendly design.

Washing is an important step in obtaining a perfect end product. Based on many years of experience, Tummers washing systems are designed for excellent cleaning with gentle product handling and a minimal use of water.

The innovative, high-capacity destoner/washer combines the latest expertise in washing technology and was developed for 24/7 industrial use.

Source: Tummers Food Processing Solutions https://www.tummers.nl/en/productoverzicht/waslijn/ontstener-wasserunit

February 01^st 2021

Cargill is expanding its portfolio of label-friendly SimPure starches, adding tapioca starches to its existing lines of corn- and potato-sourced starches.

The new tapioca starches enable brands to create process-tolerant textures, while appealing to consumer preferences for simple, familiar ingredients. Cargill said the starches are versatile and suitable for a range of applications, including dairy and dairy alternatives, convenience sauces and ready meals, meat alternatives and pet food.

Cargill’s initial offering will feature four tapioca starches, two sold under its SimPure 996 series and two under its SimPure 999 series. The Non-GMO Project Verified texturizers share a few common traits, including a neutral flavor profile, but nuances in their functional attributes are intended to give formulators new tools for specific processing conditions and product applications.

Tapioca starches in the SimPure 996 series create soft gel textures, suitable for spoonable yogurts. The high process tolerant starches bring sensory and functional attributes together, offering a creamy mouthfeel, while delivering on water-binding properties and cold-storage stability.

The SimPure 999 series encompasses the company’s non-gelling tapioca starches, which deliver creamy, indulgent textures thanks to their fat-mimetic properties. These starches are designed for stirrable yogurts, pumpable fruit preps and other applications that require a thick-but-fluid texture. They offer cold-storage stability, controlling syneresis over shelf life and are a good choice for kettle-cooked soups, sauces and ready meals.

Erin Radermacher, Cargill’s senior technical services specialist, said, “Today’s shoppers are more discerning than ever before, with a keen interest in how their food is made. That’s why we continue to expand our SimPure line, providing our customers with advanced texturizing solutions that use familiar ingredients to address a growing range of processing challenges, all backed by our global team of technical experts.

“As we evaluate new starches, we’re careful to balance process tolerance and functional performance with other critical factors like sensory and consumer acceptance. Our new high-performing tapioca starches do it beautifully. Consumers will love how they label, and formulators will love all that they can do.”

Source: https://www.nutritionaloutlook.com/view/cargill-adds-four-new-tapioca-starches-to-its-simpure-starch-portfolio

January 20^th 2021

cph Deutschland Chemie, has developed a new labeling adhesive based on wastewater potato starch.

cph Deutschland Chemie, in partnership with Novidon, has developed Regain, a new labeling adhesive based on wastewater potato starch ideal for the food, and in particular for the beverage industry.

The production of fries, potato chips, and other potato products generates vast amounts of starch-containing wastewater. Novidon, known for its innovative starch technologies, part of the international Duynie Group, extracts starch as a co-product released during the production of potatoes into fries and chips.

While potatoes and potato starch are used for several applications, there are two ways to produce it. The first one is starch processed traditionally from the whole potato. The second one, a completely new route, is extracting the starch from process water of the production of crisps and fries. The latter is more sustainable and more attractive for cph as edibles are not being reused.

‘This is in line with our company philosophy. For more than four decades, we at cph, work hard on developing sustainable products for our clients. In 1983 we developed the first biodegradable labeling adhesive. We were the first company to offer labeling adhesives free of phenolic compounds, heavy metals, and formaldehyde. Besides, we have optimized our production and supply chain. For example, we are using rainwater for production and 100 percent green energy. Hence, our new product based on potato starch as a co-product released during the production of potato products is a great extension of our portfolio,’ said Dr Gerwin Schüttpelz, CEO of cph Deutschland Chemie.

Source: https://www.cph-group.com/en/2020/09/01/european-neighbourhood-partnership-sealed/

January 18^th 2021

Modified starch ‘ink’ developed for 3D printing: ‘They’re simple, cheap and easy to implement on an industrial scale’.

‘Ink’ used to make foods and novel materials by additive manufacturing have been developed by food engineers from modified starch.

3D printing is attractive to food manufacturers for a number of reasons: foods printed using this next-gen tech have the potential to suit consumer preferences in terms of taste, texture, cost, convenience, and nutrition. The technology is predicted to play a key role in food personalisation going forward, whether it be via the customisation of shapes, textures, flavours or colours for demographics with particular needs, such as children and the elderly.

To advance progress in the 3D printed food world, researchers in Brazil and France have developed plant-based ‘inks’ they say can be used to build these products. The hydrogels are based on modified starch.

Researchers from the University of São Paulo’s Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ-USP) in Brazil, and colleagues from France’s Nantes Atlantic College of Veterinary Medicine, Food Science and Engineering (Oniris) and the National Institute for Research on Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE), developed different technologies to modify starch and obtain gels with ‘ideal characteristics’ for 3D printing.

The first gels produced by the team of international researchers were based on cassava starch, using ozone modify the starch’s structure and properties. The ozone was produced by applying an electrical discharge to oxygen, bubbled gas in a container with a mixture of water and cassava starch in suspension, and dried the mixture by removing the water.
By playing with this process, including ozone concentration, temperature and time, the researchers were able to make gels with different properties to find the right consistency for 3D printing.

“Control of the conditions enabled us to obtain weaker gels for other applications and firmer gels that are ideal for 3D printing because they retail the shape of the printed structure without flowing or losing moisture,” noted principal investigator and professor at ESALQ-USP Pedro Esteves Duarte Augusto.

Cassava and wheat starch ‘ink’Another method has also been developed by the researchers. This one involves dry heading cassava and wheat starch in an oven while controlling both temperature and time. This method enabled them to obtain gels that displayed ‘optimal printability’ – meaning that food can be printed layer-by-layer and maintain its structure. “We obtained good results with both methods. They’re simple, cheap and easy to implement on an industrial scale,” said Augusto.

Potential for new ingredients.

Next up, the research cohort plans to identify other methods of starch modification for the production of 3D printing gels, they revealed. ESALQ-USP has acquired a 3D printer, which the researchers will use to test structures developed with the new gels.

It has also been suggested that the gels based on modified cassava and wheat starch could be used to print things outside of the food sphere, such as drug capsules and nutraceuticals.
“We’ve demonstrated the feasibility of food production by 3D printing and fabrication of tailor-made ingredients,” said Augusto. “Now we plan to extend the applications and test other raw materials.”

Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0963996920307560?via%3Dihub

December 31^st 2020

December 10^th 2020

Rising food consumption drives Cargill’s expansion of cold-water swelling starch production in Indonesia.

Expansion will double production capacity to better serve food manufacturers, particularly in the convenience and foodservice categories.

Food manufacturers across the world today are faced with the challenge of meeting rising consumption demand, especially within the convenience and foodservice categories . To better help manufacturers address this need, Cargill is doubling its cold-water swelling starch production capacity at PT. Sorini Agro Asia Corporindo, its sweetener plant in Pandaan, Indonesia. The expansion is expected to be completed by May 2021.

“Since the start of our cold-water swelling starch line in Pandaan three years ago, we have provided customers in the region with shorter delivery lead times, increased supply reliability, and more cost-competitive, Asia-focused specialty starch products,” says Franck Monmont, managing director of Cargill Starches, Sweeteners & Texturizers Asia. “Along with our recent announcement of a US$100 million investment to build a corn wet mill and starch dryer at the same site, this latest development reaffirms Cargill’s confidence in Asia as a leading food and beverage market, as well as our long-term commitment to support both Asian and global consumption needs as a trusted and innovative food ingredients company.”

Derived from plant origins, cold-water swelling starches are regarded as the best-in-class instant starch solutions that give unique textures to end products, while offering improved viscosity, better dispersibility, and more flexibility in processing. As a cost effective and functionally superior solution, cold-water swelling starches are ideal for sauces and dressings, snacks, bakery goods, as well as bakery fillings and cold prepared dairy products.

The Pandaan expansion complements existing lines in North America and Europe to further strengthen Cargill’s cold-water swelling starch manufacturing capabilities worldwide. Cargill’s growth in cold-water swelling starch is just one more example of its industry leadership in texturizing solutions as it continues to supply innovative products and services that meet the application and marketplace needs of customers around the world.

Source: https://www.cargill.com/2020/rising-food-consumption-drives-cargills-expansion-of-cold

December 09^th 2020

S.Africa’s Tongaat sells starch business to Barloworld unit for $353 million.

South Africa’s Tongaat Hulett said on Wednesday it had sold its starch business to a subsidiary of Barloworld for 5.260 billion rand ($353 million) based on debt and working capital at the end of October.

Barloworld’s KLL Group unit had paid 4.986 billion rand to Tongaat on Oct. 31, as an estimate of the final purchase price based on the financial position of the starch business at the end of September.

($1 = 14.9219 rand)

Source: https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/s.africas-tongaat-sells-starch-business-to-barloworld-unit-for-%24353-million-2020-12-09

Novermber 25^th 2020

Cargill invests US $100 million in facility in Pandaan, Indonesia.

Investment in new corn wet mill and starch dryer increases production of starches and sweeteners to meet growing demand in food, industrial and feed markets across region.

Cargill is investing US $100 million in its sweetener plant, PT. Sorini Agro Asia Corporindo, in Pandaan to build a corn wet mill and add a starch dryer to better serve the growing customer demand for corn-based starches, sweeteners and animal feed ingredients. The facility is expected to be online by early 2022.

“The new corn wet mill allows us to purchase corn and convert it into corn-based starch and sweeteners. With an enhanced product portfolio and substantially more production capacity, we are better positioned to support our customers’ growth plans,” shared Franck Monmont, managing director of Cargill Starches, Sweeteners & Texturizers (CSST) Asia. “This investment also demonstrates our commitment to grow in this region and provides significant support to the local economy with a new revenue stream for regional farmers.”

The Pandaan facility originally opened in 1983 and currently imports dry starch (tapioca and corn) and converts it into sweeteners, such as glucose, sorbitol, and maltodextrin. With the expanded capabilities, Cargill will be able to produce corn-based equivalents of its existing sweeteners and add corn starch, corn gluten meal, corn gluten feed and corn germ to its portfolio. In doing so, Cargill is better prepared to collaborate with customers to meet their formulation needs, from confectionary, dairy, and convenience foods to personal care products and paper products to animal feed.

“Our investment to enhance and expand our sweetener plant in Pandaan comes at a time when the Indonesian government has identified a critical need for more investments1 into the country’s agricultural sector,” said Sunit Dhoka, CSST managing director for Southeast Asia and country representative for Indonesia. “According to data from the Investment Coordination Board (BKPM), only 3% of foreign direct investments into Indonesia in 2019 were in agriculture – a sector which accounts for 29%2 of the country’s total employment. We are optimistic that our investment will have a positive impact, with our operations creating sustained demand to support upstream agricultural activities in Indonesia and especially in East Java.”

Today, Cargill employs 20,000 people at 60 locations across Indonesia. In addition to its total direct investment of $800 million in Indonesia in the past 5 years, which includes this project, Cargill has contributed more than $5 million to nonprofit organizations in the country to support health, education and community economic empowerment.

Source: https://www.cargill.co.id/en/2020/cargill-invests-us-$100-million-in-facility-in-pandaan,-indonesi

December 07^th 2020

Dry heating treatment: A potential tool to improve the wheat starch properties for 3D food printing application.

Brazilian and French scientists working out of the University of São Paulo and the Atlantic National College of Veterinary Medicine, Food Science and Engineering have discovered a dry heating treatment that converts wheat starch to hydrogel form. This discovery better allows the starch to be used in additive manufacturing for food products. The innovation notably improves the printed wheat product’s ability to retain shape, which is a critical part of large-scale additive food production. The researchers also successfully tested their method on cassava starch. The researchers’ results are published in Food Research International.

Printing food products is a growing segment in the additive manufacturing space. This network has reported recent developments, which include a first bioprinting meat in space and Cakewalk3D’s Digital Patisserie. The segment has also grown to attract more established investors. These developments augur well for the scientists’ research, which could help promote increased investment and commercialization of additively manufactured food products.

The researchers in the instant case modified wheat starch by dry heating it over two and four hours at 130˚C. This process caused the starch’s granule size to increase while retaining its original shape. The starch’s molecular grouping did not change. These altered starches were used as hydrogel inks, which were passed through a 3D printer to create test shapes.

These resulting shapes demonstrated higher structural strength at rest, higher resistance to external stresses, higher gel firmness, and lower expulsion of liquids than the control starch. The form produced with the four-hour-treated-starch gel showed the best reproducibility. The dry heat treated starches also showed better texture detail than the control starch.

These results suggest that wheat starches may be able to play a more important role in the food segment of the additive manufacturing industry, notably as structural elements that might allow other food products to break into the space.

Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0963996920307560#!