Starch Pros

July 15^th 2020

Ingredion launches range of PURITY Bio Organic native starches.

Ingredion Incorporated, a leading global provider of ingredient solutions to diversified industries, today launched three new organic native starches for the U.S. and Canada, PURITY Bio 201 organic native corn starch, PURITY Bio 301 organic native tapioca starch and PURITY Bio 805 organic native waxy rice starch.

The PURITY Bio range of organic native starches offers food manufacturers a compelling value proposition for converting to a more attractive “organic” corn, rice or tapioca starch label, enabling associated claims. The high-performing, certified organic starches can help manufacturers replace undesirable ingredients in existing products and develop new products with shorter lists of more familiar names to enhance product appeal and cost savings potential.

In food systems, PURITY Bio organic native starches impart a bland flavor and can be dropped into the same food processes where it’s conventional (non-organic) native starch counterparts are used, without any change in functionality or formulation. The new organic native starches are ideal for a wide variety of organic food applications, including yogurt (dairy and plant-based alternative dairy), soups, sauces, dressings, frozen and refrigerated ready-meals, meats, batters and breadings, bakery and confectionery (gummies).

“The launch of PURITY Bio organic native starches builds on Ingredion’s two decades of experience in clean label leadership,” said Jim Low, Ingredion’s vice president and general manager, Systems and Ingredients Solutions. “Our continued investment in an organic supply chain provides food manufacturers with an extensive range of certified organic ingredients to help them attract today’s mindful consumers.”

PURITY Bio 201 organic native corn starch and PURITY Bio 301 organic native tapioca starch exhibit a smooth, short texture when hot, set to an opaque gel when cooled (7% concentration) and form a strong gel after cooled in a cooked dispersion. PURITY Bio 805 organic native waxy rice starch offers superior freeze/thaw stability, high viscosity, excellent water-holding capability, strong adhesion and binding properties, and is characterized by a white color and bland flavor. The three starches can be labeled simply as “organic corn starch,” “organic tapioca starch” and “organic rice starch” respectively.

“PURITY Bio organic native starches, made from corn, tapioca and waxy rice, deliver functionality in organic food processes in place of traditional native starches — no special preparation or equipment needed,” said Patrick O’Brien, Ingredion’s regional platform leader for Clean & Simple Ingredients in the U.S. and Canada. “The launch of this product line, with its unique inherent base characteristics, means that food manufacturers now have access to a broader range of high-performing certified organic solutions for developing on-trend products that deliver the taste, texture and performance that consumers demand.”

Source: https://www.ingredion.us/MeetIngredion/News/Ingredion-Broadens-Organic-Ingredient-Solutions-Lineup.html

July 09^th 2020

50% Capacity expansion of production facility in Belgium by 2022.

BENEO, one of the leading manufacturers of functional ingredients, has announced a 50 percent production capacity increase at its Wijgmaal facility to respond to rising customer demand for its rice starches. A two-stage expansion process valued at $56 million, will lead to increased capacity by March 2022.

BENEO forecasts that the growing demand for natural and clean label products, in applications such as coated confectionery, will intensify in major existing markets, including the Americas and Europe. Rice is widely considered a familiar and recognizable product, with 61% of consumers worldwide regarding rice starch as naturali, making it the ideal ingredient for the development of products that respond to the increasing trend for clean and clearer labels.

Roland Vanhoegaerden, Operations Managing Director Speciality Rice Ingredients at BENEO notes that the nature of the ingredients business is one of long-term thinking and economic resilience. “We fundamentally believe in the value of this investment with demand for rice starch coming from both natural and organic growth, as well as from new projects and applications. One of the key reasons for our confidence is the ‘clean label’ trend, where food manufacturers are moving away from artificial additives and replacing them with natural alternatives, such as rice starch.”

Rice starch is capable of filling up all of the micropores on the surface of coatings due to its very fine particle size. This so-called “smoothing effect” is especially beneficial for confectionery manufacturers during the production process, since it ensures a stable result where edges do not crack or splinter. Additionally, rice starch allows for the preservation of a brilliant white color for months.

Since January 1, 2020, titanium dioxide, which is used to fill microscopic irregularities in coatings, is no longer permitted for use in food products in France. There are expectations that other EU markets may follow the country in banning the additive. “We are already seeing some major companies looking at rice starch and we will soon have a much larger capacity in place to address this rising demand,” Vanhoegaerden explains.

Technical trials by the BENEO-Technology Center have shown that clean label rice starch can also play an important role in a variety of other applications including baked goods and products that need to undergo severe processing conditions, such as sauces and dressings, as well as pet food.

The Wijgmaal plant 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. A recent investment into its docking station means that the company can now accept two barges at its plant, rather than one. As a result, two-thirds of rice raw material is now received by barge and just one-third by truck. “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,” Vanhoegaerden explains.

Rice starch production consists of several phases: rice cleaning, soaking, milling, sieving, separation, dewatering, and finally drying. BENEO’s investment at the Wijgmaal facilities will increase the number of production lines from two to three. The first phase of the BENEO investment will take place at the tail-end of the production process for existing lines. The installation of a third drier and dewatering line allows the company to reduce bottlenecks and further increase efficiency. The second expansion phase will involve the front-end of the production process, starting from soaking through to the separation of the starch from the proteins in the valorization step.

The facility, which currently employs 180 people, will add up to 20 full-time positions during the course of the expansion, as well as offer further work to maintenance and engineering contractors in the vicinity.

BENEO’s Wijgmaal plant, formerly known as Remy Industries, is a true hidden champion in the Flanders region. The factory is the source for more than half of the world’s rice starch, despite the rice crop being primarily imported from South East Asia. The plant was founded by Edouard Remy in 1856 and remained in family hands until the early 20th century. In the early 1990s, a German investor (Rutgers) installed a completely new starch line in a modernization move that reduced operational costs at Wijgmaal. The Remy plant was indirectly acquired by German-headquartered Südzucker in 2001, through their Raffinerie Tienen operations. It became part of the newly formed BENEO Group, when Südzucker founded a new three-pronged ingredients business unit in 2007, together with the legacy Orafti (Oreye, Belgium) and Palatinit (Mannheim, Germany) businesses.

Source: http://www.beneonews.com/Press_Releases/2020/Capacity_increase_Wijgmaal_plant/

July 08^th 2020

Tongaat, Barloworld appoint third party to check for material adverse change.

JSE (Johannesburg Stock Exchange)-listed companies Tongaat Hulett and Barloworld have appointed Rothschild and Co South Africa as the independent third party to evaluate whether a material adverse change (MAC) had occurred in the sale and purchase agreement terms between the companies.

The sale and purchase agreement relates to sugar manufacturer Tongaat disposing of its starch business to a Barloworld subsidiary, KLL Group, which was first announced in February.

Barloworld in May raised concern about the starch business, believing that Covid-19-related impacts on the earnings of the business had resulted in an MAC to the terms of the agreement.

The industrial group said it was reasonably likely that the starch business would achieve 82.5% lower earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation for the financial year ending March 31, 2021, compared with the year ended March 31, 2020.

Tongaat, however, disagrees that an MAC has occurred.

The companies, therefore, decided to refer the matter to an independent accountant to determine if such a change had taken place.

South Africa’s competition authorities have this week given their approval for the transaction, which cannot be completed until the MAC matter is resolved.

Source: https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/tongaat-barloworld-appoint-third-party-to-check-for-material-adverse-change-2020-07-08

July 07^th 2020

Tongaat Hulett welcomes approval of Starch business acquisition by Barloworld subsidiary.

Agriculture and agri-processing company Tongaat Hulett said today it was pleased at the decision by South Africa’s Competition Tribunal to approve the acquisition of its Tongaat Hulett Starch business by the KLL Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Barloworld.

It said the decision was the third approval in the jurisdictions relevant to the transaction, with the Botswana Competition Commission and the Common Market for Eastern and
Southern Africa (Comesa) Competition Commission having already approved the transaction without conditions.

The final approval is awaited from the Indonesian Competition Commission, probably in the first week of August.

Tongaat chief executive Gavin Hudson said the approval by the SA Competition Tribunal had been achieved within anticipated timelines, despite the impact on the process of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This is good news and means we can focus on closing the final conditions relating to the deal,” he said.

“These involve obtaining the consent of our lenders, and the resolution of the MAC (material adverse change) event that Barloworld has called,” he said.

In May, Barloworld indicated it believed a material adverse change had occurred in relation to the sale of the starch business, but on Tuesday Tongaat said it remained “firmly of the view that a MAC has not occurred”. The matter has been referred to an independent third party for determination.

Hudson said the company was still committed to finalising the disposal of the business, one of a range of initiatives Tongaat Hulett has initiated as part of its broader business turnaround process.

“The successful execution of any of these transactions, or a combination of them, will ensure we can deliver on our strategic business partnerships; step-changing our transformation initiatives, protecting employee jobs and helping support the economies of the countries in which we operate,” he said.

Tongaat Hulett Starch is Africa’s largest producer of starch, glucose and related products using maize as its raw material at its five mills.

Source: https://www.africannewsagency.com/business/Tongaat-Hulett-welcomes-approval-of-Starch-business-acquisition-by-Barloworld-subsidiary-26123336

June 30th 2020

Tropical plants could provide clean label starch solution.

The international starch production sector for the food industry is somewhat restricted in the use of chemically modified starches due to country-specific regulations. Therefore, concentrated efforts are needed to identify starch sources with functional characteristics that are similar to chemically modified starches. From this perspective, the potential of five unconventional tropical food plant species is discussed: Canna edulis, Cyperus esculentus, Dioscorea bulbifera, Hedychium coronarium, and Xanthosoma sagittifolium. These tropical food plants can be grown using rustic agronomic management and have high productivity and easily extractable starchy tubers, roots, or rhizomes, which may open possibilities for the substitution of these native starch sources for chemically modified starches in food products.

Starch is the main reserve substance in plants, and it stands out as an abundant, nontoxic, renewable, and low-cost food ingredient. Starch accounts for about 80–90% of all polysaccharides present in human foods. Billions of dollars are spent annually worldwide on the marketing of starch products that serve a wide range of industrial segments, and starches are a major component in food product applications, as either ingredients or food additives.

Corn, potato, wheat, and cassava starches are the most widely used starches in the food industry, serving as thickeners, colloid stabilizers, gelling and volume agents, adhesives, moisture retainers, texturizers, and fat substitutes . In their native form, applications for starches are restricted because they usually have unwanted functional characteristics. They produce thin, elastic, and cohesive pastes, mainly due to their high hygroscopicity, rapid swelling, loss of viscosity, high tendency to retrograde, low shear strength, and heat treatments.

To overcome these limitations, modification processes are often employed. Chemical, physical, enzymatic, or a combination of these processes are currently employed to obtain customized starch products that meet the requirements for specific food applications.
Chemically modified starches are the most widely used. However, the use of new chemical reagents in starch modification is restricted by country-specific regulations that have increasingly stringent limits related to consumer and environmental protections and occupational safety. As a result, the food industry has been looking for new ways to modify starches or for native starches that have functional characteristics of interest, such as high paste clarity and freeze-thaw stability. In this context, both the food industry and farmers are increasingly interested in the identification and development of plants that produce native starches with physicochemical characteristics similar to those of modified commercial starches.

Unexplored tubers, roots, rhizomes, bulbs, and corms from tropical plants are emerging as important alternative sources for the starch industry, which could replace chemically modified starches and open new starch markets. In addition, temperate regions have limitations in their ability to cultivate a large variety of starchy tropical plant species due to climatic and environmental factors, creating the promising potential for growth of these species in tropical regions.

Source: https://www.cerealsgrains.org/publications/cfw/2020/March-April/Pages/CFW-65-2-0018.aspx

June 25^th 2020

Emsland Stärke finds cooperation in partnership with plant-pased JUST Egg.

With another forward-looking cooperation, the Emsland Group presents its work with the American company JUST (Eat JUST, Inc.). The company applies cutting-edge science and technology to create healthier, more sustainable foods like the award-winning, plant-based product marketed as JUST Egg in the United States. This is an approach that fits perfectly with the extensive activities of the Emsland Group.

Entirely in the spirit of its corporate philosophy “Using nature to create”, the Emsland Group uses renewable raw materials such as potatoes and peas to produce high-quality products. Overall, each year the company processes more than two million tons of these crops across the seven locations in Germany. The Emsland Group is the largest producer of potato starch in Germany.

Innovation is at the heart of the work of this globally operating company. In addition to its technical work, the company particularly focuses on food applications. In addition to starches and starch derivatives as well as potato flakes and granules, proteins and fibres also play a significant role. Potatoes and peas are the base material. As part of a new process, the Emsland Group also uses mung beans to derive starches and proteins. This takes place in the external factory in Kyritz. “During this newly developed process, the protein is extracted from the mung beans, leaving behind the starch-fiber proportion,” explains Andre Heilemann, Project Lead for Process Engineering at the Emsland Group. “Using our know-how, we are beginning to further separate this blend of starches and fibres to create high-quality starches and fibres.”

Thanks to its special composition, the mung bean starch which is produced has many interesting qualities in addition to its use in Asian noodles. Thus, in addition to derivatization, new clean label concepts can be realized in food production. Heidrun Lambers, Head of Food Application Technology at the Emsland Group, holds the view that the special gel and textural qualities of mung bean starch offer very promising prospects for exciting developments. In addition to use in foods, applications in the technical field are also being considered.

In the partnership with JUST, the focus is on processing mung bean protein. The protein is the main ingredient in JUST Egg and will contribute to ensuring that JUST Egg has a reliable, efficient, and expandable production infrastructure.

The Emsland Group also sees the cooperation with JUST as a very promising alliance to expand the product portfolio and to create additional sales opportunities in the food industry.

Source: https://www.emsland-group.de/news/2020/1009-cooperation-in-partnership-with-plant-based-just-egg

June 17^th 2020

BENEO has announced the expansion of its rice starch ingredient portfolio with a new organic solution.

The launch of the new addition, comprising an organic waxy rice starch, Remyline O AX DR, paves the way for BENEO to strengthen its market leading position.

Consumers worldwide are increasingly seeking out organic products, with figures showing they have become more important to 1 in 4 consumers in the last year and many willing to pay a premium price for them.

This rising demand has been driven by the growing consumer perception of organic products as healthy and natural, and therefore an intrinsic part of a healthier lifestyle.

Organic products and ingredients are also considered a vital element for ethical and sustainable purchasing behaviour, a key trend being seen within the food and beverage industry.

Around the world, there are high expectations for organic products, with a compound annual growth rate of 2% and 2.6% in value predicted between 2019 and 2022 in Europe and the USA respectively , the two largest organic markets.

The addition of BENEO’s new organic waxy rice starch, Remyline O AX DR, completes the existing portfolio of rice starches with the availability of organic solutions for both regular and waxy rice starch. Launching globally from July onwards, Remyline O AX DR is the first of its kind to be brought to market, opening up new possibilities for product development.

As a waxy rice starch, it contains no amylose and therefore delivers better stability and less syneresis, making it easier to maintain a stable texture throughout a product’s shelf life.

Remyline O AX DR is suitable for fruit preparations, as well as meat and poultry applications. Technical trials by experts at the BENEO-Technology Center have shown positive results for these applications, as well as for improving the texture of creamy desserts and yoghurts.

Commenting on the launch of Remyline O AX DR, Marc-Etienne Denis, Commercial Managing Director Specialty Rice Ingredients at BENEO stated: “The launch of BENEO’s new organic waxy rice starch is an important milestone for us as it means we can now offer our customers organic variants for both our waxy and regular rice starches.”

“We see great potential for this new solution, especially within meat and poultry, as consumers worldwide place special emphasis on organic products when buying meat.”

Source: https://nutraceuticalbusinessreview.com/Category/Ingredients

June 05^th 2020

Tongaat not backing down in battle with Barloworld over R5.3bn starch deal.

Sugar producer Tongaat Hulett on Friday rejected concerns raised by Barloworld over the profitability of its starch business, which Barloworld is in the process of buying for R5.3 billion.

Tongaat’s chairperson, Louis von Zeuner, in a special general meeting maintained the business was profitable despite concerns about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on operations.

Last year, the KwaZulu-Natal based firm was embroiled in a financial scandal that showed accounting irregularities resulting in inflated profits. Its shares plummeted and were subsequently suspended from the JSE for a period of seven months. Since returning to the market, the company’s stock price has fallen more than 65% and, due to heightened debt levels that are above its market capitalisation, it has had to sell non-core assets.

According to Nolwandle Mthombeni, Investment Analyst at Mergence Investment Managers, the sale of the business would help Tongaat to plug its debt hole.

“Tongaat needs to pay off its debt in order for debtors not to sent them into liquidation and get the debt restructured. The disposing of the assets is part of the agreement they have with the creditors.”

The sale has been placed in jeopardy as the Barloworld subsidiary believes the impact of Covid-19 effected “material adverse changes” on Tongaat’s starch business, which may heavily impact earnings.

The parties remain deadlocked on the transaction and have not yet agreed on an independent accountant to assess the business. In a statement on Thursday, Barloworld said the transaction “cannot complete” until such time as it has been finally determined whether or not a material adverse changes have occurred.

“The parties have differing views and a process would be followed to assess the facts in this matter. Tongaat’s starch business remains an asset that performs well,” said Von Zeuner.

He added that the company, which is the continent’s largest produce of starch, glucose and a wide range of related products, needed to be ready for any eventuality. It is yet to release its financial results for 2020, but is working to reduce its debt by R8.1 billion by March 2021.

“Shareholders will appreciate that although we have not announced financial results for 2020….we can safely say that we have made significant progress in relation to the turnaround strategy we have embarked upon,” said Von Zeuner.

“We have met our commitment to our lenders to date, also we are a business today with improved cash flow.”

Tongaat’s starch and glucose operations have four wet-milling plants, in Kliprivier, Germiston and Meyerton and Bellville. The group’s South African sugar operations generated an operating loss of R283 million against a loss of R121 million in 2018, according to its latest financial report.

Source: https://www.news24.com/fin24/Companies/Agribusiness

June 05^th 2020

Tate & Lyle announces major sustainability investment at its facility in Lafayette South, Indiana, U.S., on World Environment Day.

Tate & Lyle PLC, a leading global provider of food and beverage ingredients and solutions, is pleased to announce a US$75 million investment in a new natural gas-fired combined heat and power system to deliver significant environmental and economic benefits at its Lafayette South corn wet milling facility in Lafayette, Indiana, US. This investment, announced on World Environment Day, will support the delivery of Tate & Lyle’s ambitious new sustainability targets for 2030 published last month including to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, eliminate coal from its operations and reduce water use.

The new gas turbines will generate electricity and steam to power and heat the facility, delivering a significant improvement in energy and operational efficiency. The new co-generation system will replace the site’s coal-fired boiler, delivering around 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and around 5% reduction in water use.

Work at the site to transition from a coal-fired boiler to new gas turbines is being undertaken with strict safety protocols that include social distancing and other protective measures.

This investment follows completion of a similar system at Tate & Lyle’s corn wet mill in Loudon, Tennessee in 2017. Tate & Lyle has a six-year, US$150 million productivity programme, which is now in its third year, and this investment is part of delivering that programme.

Travis Montoya, Plant Manager at Lafayette South said: “This major investment will make our facility more efficient and directly benefit the local community through improved air quality, decreased water use and less truck traffic. At Lafayette South, we have a strong track record of energy efficiency, having received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR accreditation for five consecutive years; this is a real source of pride for the local team.”

Melissa Law, President of Global Operations at Tate & Lyle, added: “A key pillar of our purpose of Improving Lives for Generations, is to care for our planet and to help protect its natural resources for the benefit of future generations. This project at Lafayette South is a great example of our purpose in action and will help us meet our ambitious new environmental commitments, driving important energy-saving and environmental benefits.”

Source: https://www.tateandlyle.com/articles/4

June 04^th 2020

Ingredion debuts new starch for Asian markets.

Ingredion has launched Precisa Cream 7310 starch, a cold-water swelling starch, that delivers an instant thickening effect to a variety of oil- and water-based applications. Specifically, the starch is ideal for salad dressings and sauces, which have seen an increased demand in the region fuelled by the rise in westernized diets and the demand for convenience at home.

Precisa Cream 7310 starch was developed to help manufacturers and foodservice operators meet increasing consumer demand for high-quality dressings and sauces. Using the new starch, manufacturers will deliver superior texture and visual appeal with stable viscosity throughout the shelf life. A versatile ingredient, the starch is also suitable for providing enhanced texture in bakery fillings and premixes, says Ingredion.

“As we foresee more consumers shifting to home cooking, deliveries and takeaways post-pandemic, manufacturers will be looking to win consumers with variety, quality, convenience and affordability. The change in consumers’ lifestyles provides opportunities for new product launches, such as reduced-fat sauces and dressings,” explains Ai Tsing Tan, Innovation Director, Asia-Pacific. “This starch is specifically designed to help our customers lower oil content in their recipes at an optimized cost,” she adds.

“We have responded with agility, producing this starch in Asia to deliver a high-quality ingredient that addresses our customers’ product development needs. This also allows them to enjoy the benefit of proximity with better control of the supply chain and a shorter lead time,” comments Rishan Pillay, Vice President and General Manager for ASEAN and India.

Source: https://apac.ingredion.com/searchresult.html?content-types-search-tag=&q=precisa