Company: KRÖNER-STÄRKE
Website: www.kroener-staerke.de
Ingredient Snapshot: Food manufacturers take note: flake products are ideal for a very wide range of different applications, thanks to their excellent dispersion and cold swelling properties, and general versatility.
Product development specialist KRÖNER-STÄRKE, a leading German producer of natural wheat starch products, is utilising its all-natural processing facility to provide a wide range of products, including cold water swelling flakes, to meet the growing demand in different sectors. As KRÖNER-STÄRKE has many years’ experience in producing drum dried product alternatives it is possible to blend other raw materials like corn, rice or tapioca, including the specification of wholemeal ingredients.
What are the technical benefits?
Available in different sizes, functionalities and composition, like for example fibre content, the flakes have no added sugar or additives and are GMO free. The use of cold swelling flakes is also very popular as they are excellent moisture absorbers and avoid lumping because of excellent dispersion properties. Read on to find out more about their use in specific applications.
Meeting demands for dietary trends
According to a recent scientific study by the United Nations (UN), switching to a plant-based diet can help fight climate change, a finding that is likely to boost the increasing trend across Europe of consumers being more attentive to what they eat.
For food manufacturers, flakes from KRÖNER-STÄRKE are interesting for a wide range of end use applications. Firstly, porridge for breakfast: cereals are an attractive breakfast alternative to the ‘full English’ for people wanting healthier lifestyles, and flakes are the ideal basis for porridge.
To support manufacturers of this classic breakfast meal, KRÖNER-STÄRKE has created an instant porridge mix designed for healthy living with the young and more mature population in mind. The flakes contain naturally-produced wheat starch and wholemeal wheat flour, and could be enriched with vitamins and minerals. Combined with milk, soy milk or water, the mix creates a pulpy, easy to swallow, readily digestible porridge with high fibre content.
Flake-based products are also ideal for providing food products high in nutrition for elderly people. And it’s not just breakfast cereals where wheat flakes come into their own. Extreme weather conditions are already having an impact on the availability and cost of potato flakes used in bakery products. Food manufacturers looking to improve profit margins, but not relinquish functionality, can replace potato flakes with POMGEL, a flaky wheat starch from KRÖNER-STÄRKE.
More technical benefits…
POMGEL’s flaky structure improves the dough yield and the shelf life of baked goods. With its high water-binding capacity it keeps breads and bakery products fresher for longer. POMGEL contains no additives (unlike many potato flakes) and is a totally clean-label product, declared simply as ‘wheat starch’ on labelling. An alternative that can be declared as ‘wheat flour’ is also available.
Flake products can help provide food manufacturers with the raw materials to keep up with the latest eating trends with the minimum of time investment and easy processing properties, according to KRÖNER-STÄRKE’s commercial manager, Henrik de Vries.
He said: “The effect that food consumption has on climate change is likely to accelerate the change of eating habits by European consumers. The pure nature of our products makes them suitable for a wide range of foods and an even wider range of consumers. We can work with food manufacturers to help find the perfect match for their formulations and recipes.”
KRÖNER-STÄRKE develops bespoke solutions to suit individual needs across a wide range of foods, including baked goods, processed meats, soups and sauces and battered products, and has a reputation for technical excellence in new product development.
