Dive Brief:
-
Ingredion has developed a range of rice flours to provide smooth, silky textures in gluten-free and clean label products, reports Food Business News.
-
The flours improve stability and texture without the use of hydrocolloids or modified starches, which some manufacturers are trying to avoid in their quest to simplify product labels.
-
Consumers in the U.S. and Asia Pacific regions are more accepting of rice flour than other commonly used food ingredients, according to the company’s own research. The rice flours are part of Ingredion's Homecraft Create range for food manufacturers, and will be introduced at the Institute of Food Technologists’ annual meeting in Las Vegas later this month.
Dive Insight:
Rice flour is already commonly used in gluten-free products, like cookies, cakes and pie crusts. It is also used in infant-weaning products because of its digestibility and allergen-free status. However, precisely because it lacks gluten, it is often combined with ingredients that improve texture, like modified starches and hydrocolloids.
At a time when consumers are looking for simple ingredient lists, developing rice flours that have textural functions built in — and can be listed on the package simply as "rice flour" — is likely to hold considerable appeal.
Simplified ingredient lists are important to consumers, according to Mintel, which found that 59% of U.S. shoppers agree that the fewer ingredients a product has, the healthier it is.
As ingredient companies have worked to improve the functionality of their clean label starches, many food manufacturers have already made the switch from modified starches. Some hydrocolloids – like carrageenan and xanthan gum – are also viewed with suspicion, despite their natural origins.
As consumers seek shorter ingredient lists, there is a clear benefit to using flour like the one developed by Ingredion. It will be interesting to see how traditional wheat flour producers react to this trend, and if the popularity of rice flour has a significant negative impact on their sales.