When choosing any starch ingredient for bakery, the main two priorities are functionality and labeling. These two factors will narrow the field considerably. Starches provide a wealth of functionality to baked goods, but it depends on the product variety and process. 

“Starch functionality can depend on the application but typically provides viscosity control, retains volume and structure, achieves homogenous inclusions throughout crumb, controls stickiness, provides binding and moisture retention, and extends the shelf life by controlling staling,” said Ricardo Rodriguez, marketing manager, bakery/snacks and confectionary categories, Ingredion Inc.

It’s important for bakers to understand exactly what functionality their starch ingredients are contributing to the formulation so that they can correctly choose a starch that can deliver the desired end-product properties.

“If they want fiber enhancement, they won’t get the fiber number they are looking for if they don’t choose a resistant starch,” said Tanya Jeradechachai, vice president of research and development, MGP Ingredients. “Resistant starch is highly suitable for high fiber or keto-friendly baked products. If bakers are looking for starch to help with moisture retention, and they don’t use the right starch, they won’t get the product tenderness they’re looking for.”

Ms. Jeradechachai recommended bakers consider which botanical source of starch they prefer and then whether modification is acceptable for their label. Starch can come from a variety of plant sources: wheat, corn, rice, potato and tapioca. Starch from each of these sources and modifications have different functionalities that will inform whether it’s a fit for a particular application. 

Two components make up starch: the essentially linear amylose fraction and highly branched amylopectin. Different botanical sources will have different composition and structural features such as starch granule size, shape, amylose and amylopectin ratio. Among many functionalities, amylose contributes to starch gelling tendency, and amylopectin is primarily responsible for its thickening ability. To alter its gelling, thickening, binding and nutritional properties, starch undergoes chemical and/or process modifications.

Wheat starch has a plethora of functionality including improving texture, viscosity, gel formation, adhesion, binding and moisture retention and works well in bakery products because of its natural compatibility with wheat flour and proteins. Corn, tapioca, rice and potato starches also have the added bonus of being gluten-free. 

All these starch sources are available in their native or modified versions for improved functionality and ease-of-use. It all depends on the formulation’s needs. Native starches (cook-up starch) require an additional cooking step to kick start the gelatinization process. The pregelatinization process is used to make pre-gel or instant starch, which does not require the additional cooking step, and can swell in cold water. Pre-gel starch is often used for batter viscosity control. Modified starch can be either cook-up or pregelatinized, and various types are available. Oxidized starch aids in adhesion and crispiness of products; cross-linked starch is used to enhance dietary fiber and improve tolerance during high shear, low acidity and temperature-intensive processing. Substituted starch provides increased viscosity, freeze-thaw or refrigerated stability, and combinations of starch modifications are also available with improved functionalities. While understanding the process a formulation will go through — mixing times, oven times, etc. — can be helpful in determining the appropriate starch ingredient, Ms. Jeradechachai explained the ingredient supplier needs some basic information to make a good recommendation. 

“We need to know their problem, the application, the processing conditions, what they are trying to achieve and what starch they are currently using,” she said. “We can offer a good solution from there.”

When considering functionality, Brook Carson, vice president, R&D, Manildra Group USA, noted that starch lends a hand in one of two places: the mixing bowl and finished product texture. This will help determine what kind of starch a baker requires.

“Understanding what your starch is contributing is a good place to start: Are you using starch to manage dough or batter viscosity or manage texture in the finished product?” she asked. “Do you want that viscosity to happen in the bowl, or do you want that viscosity to happen as it starts to cook or bake?” 

This question, for example, might impact whether a baker chooses a pre-gel or cook-up starch. Pre-gel starches do not require heat to reach their full functionality in the way that cook-up starches do, and they are well suited to applications that require quick hydration or room temperature processing. These starches can also contribute moisture retention in addition to other functionalities. Cook-up starches require a minimum cooking temperature and time to reach their full functionality, but they add viscosity; resist acid, heat and shear; increase stability; and provide clarity in both fresh and frozen applications. If bakers need viscosity and texture management at both ends of the process — the mixing bowl and the oven — they might even consider using both types of starches.

“You might use cook-up and pre-gel together, so you get some viscosity in the bowl and then finish it off in the oven,” Ms. Carson explained. “Or maybe you use two different types of starch for the same reason: functionality in the bowl as well as finished product texture.” 

When committed to or making the switch to native starches, said Shiva Elayedath, principal technical account manager for starch, Cargill, recommended that combining native starches with other ingredients can address lost functionality while moving away from modified starches. These ingredient blends can also add to the finished product texture. However, ingredient blends require relying on the technical expertise of suppliers. 

“Hydrocolloids, for example, are used at much lower levels than starches,” he said. “While they may help build back some functionality, bakers still must fill the gap with other ingredients. Flour is a basic ingredient for baked goods, but upping the inclusion level will change the texture of the finished product. A good design of experiments can help bakers understand the right ingredient, the optimum inclusion level that delivers the best performance and pinpoint where performance begins to fall off so they fully understand the limitations of any formula adjustments.”  

Another alternative replacement for starch functionality is pulse flours. Mr. Rodriguez pointed out that they can either replace, extend or partially replace potato, tapioca, corn starches or wheat flour while also providing additional benefits. 

“Pulse flours can provide many of the functional benefits starches offer, like texture enhancement, gelation, adhesion and film forming,” he said. “In traditional baked goods, pulse flours can improve crumb color and browning while providing good product volume, shelf-life stability and enabling gluten-free claims. In applications like crackers, pulse flours can provide a crispy wheat cracker-like texture and golden-brown color while improving the nutritional profile compared to other flours. In expanded snacks and chips, pulse flours can provide expansion along with higher protein and dietary fiber compared to corn.”

In addition to functionality in the formulation, it’s important for formulators to understand how an ingredient will be used when determining what types of starches to consider. 

“For instance, smaller producers such as ‘mom-and-pop’ patisseries who may use a pail of filling over time in preparing numerous batches of bakery products have different stability requirements over shelf life than a large wholesale bakery,” said Julia DesRochers, PhD, senior principal scientist, Tate & Lyle. “The correct starch can provide the necessary stability such as freeze-thaw to prevent syneresis or gummy finished product texture.” 

Process can also determine whether or not a baker can even use a native starch, Mr. Rodriguez pointed out. For more rigorous or harsh processes, a modified starch may be required. 

Whether choosing a starch ingredient for the first time or replacing a starch ingredient, Mr. Elayedath urged bakers to go back to basics for the best success. 

“Make sure you are using the right starch and that it is being used at the optimum inclusions rate,” he said. “Many times, formulators follow legacy recipes developed more than a decade ago, and they may not fully understand how the starch functions in this specific application. Once functionality is established, we can help customers understand the implications of changing their starch and work together to find the best solution.”

This article is an excerpt from the November 2023 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Starches, click here.