Texturising solution for dairy challenges

The Australian dairy industry is constantly evolving and innovating to meet ever-changing consumer demands. One thing that remains a priority is the consumer expectation for clean label* as a given.

Consumers associate clean-label products with being natural and healthier for them.  85% of Australian consumers aim to eat healthier food and beverages more often or will continue to do so¹. Over the last three years dairy products with clean-label claims in Australia have grown by 14%².

The increased consumer demand for cleaner labels can be particularly challenging for formulators.

Tate & Lyle has been expanding its CLARIA Clean Label Functional Starches range to provide solutions to meet the unique needs of food manufacturers. A recent addition to its portfolio is the CLARIA EVERLAST range, which can provide texture and mouthfeel in a range of applications, such as fruit preparations, which require stability in extended chilled environments. The range is designed to balance functionality and stability with clean-label credentials, labelling simply as Tapioca starch, which can help manufacturers tap into the clean-label trend across wider application categories.

The processing challenge

Starches used in chilled dairy products help provide texture, body and creaminess. Dairy process conditions such as UHT (ultra heat treatment) or homogenisation require process-tolerant starches to provide the right mouthfeel and texture. In fruit-flavoured yoghurt, the fruit preparation is also a challenging application. The high solids content, combined with the natural acidity of fruits, low pH, plus extended cold storage conditions can create a difficult environment for standard clean-label starches to function effectively.

The CLARIA EVERLAST range has been developed to match modified starches in terms of process tolerance, storage stability and inclusion level, meaning they are suitable for a host of chilled or frozen food preparation applications.

Consumers are increasingly looking for products without artificial additives — 30% of Australian consumers say ‘all-natural’ claims influence their yoghurt purchasing decision.¹

This functional starches range is made from tapioca or corn, so can be labelled as ‘corn starch’, ‘tapioca starch’ or simply ‘starch’ to help maintain a product’s natural credentials.

The most crucial factors for consumers when choosing dairy products is taste and appearance so the functional starches range has been designed to have a clean taste and colour that is particularly suitable for dairy products.

The clean-label product line can provide good stability and flavour in a broad range of process conditions. CLARIA EVERLAST 585 provides process tolerance and stability suitable for Australian-style yoghurts.

In testing, yoghurt with CLARIA EVERLAST 585 did not show signs of syneresis throughout refrigerated shelf life.

Data sourced from Tate & Lyle research.

The dairy landscape will continue to evolve and bring latest trends for manufacturers to consider, along with new challenges. No matter the application or the challenge, the CLARIA EVERLAST range is designed to help users create dairy products with great taste and texture as well as a clean label.

For more information, visit https://www.tateandlyle.com/ingredient/claria-functional-clean-label-starch.

Image credit: iStock.com/Jasmina007

_{*Clean label includes one or more of the following attributes: organic, natural, non-GMO, no artificial sweeteners, no artificial flavours, no artificial preservatives — Mintel GNPD 2017–2022}

<sup>1. Tate & Lyle Proprietary Research, 2022 Global Consumer Ingredient Perception Research Australia
2. Mintel GNPD</sup>