Cargill Introduces SimPure Functional Native Starches

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Consumers’ desire for simple, familiar ingredients shows no signs of waning, and Cargill (Minneapolis) answers their call once again, announcing the worldwide launch of its new SimPure portfolio of functional native starches.

The line answers the lingering question of how to substitute for modified starches. Long the product developer’s “workhorse” texturizers, modified starches reliably withstand harsh processing and storage conditions-but with one big drawback: they don’t conform to changing consumer preferences for “clean” labels.

So, by researching novel starch sources and creating new processing technologies and native-starch blends, Cargill’s texture scientists developed the SimPure line, which the company, in a press statement, claims delivers the “simple ingredient label consumers want, along with greater process tolerance, shelf life and storage stability.

The first product in the SimPure portfolio to go live is patent-pending SimPure 99560, a customized blend of starch from “various botanical sources” that can replace modified starches, especially in frozen ready meals, without compromising taste, texture or appearance, the company states.

The blending of several starches is a deliberate design feature of SimPure 99560, as the company’s scientists recognized that a single native starch would fall short in reproducing the mouthfeel, texture and stability attributable to modified starches in frozen prepared sauces. The strategic starch blend used in SimPure 99650 thus provides optimal freeze-heat stability under mild processing conditions, prevents syneresis and maintains stable functionality over a frozen product’s shelf life. The company also states that it offers good viscosity both during processing and in microwaved applications.

“As a global leader, we have the most diverse texturizing portfolio, backed by world-class formulation experts and a reliable supply chain, enabling us to create custom solutions like SimPure 99560 to address the application and marketplace needs of our customer partners,” said Simon Waters, global food starch leader, Cargill, in a press release from the company. “As we expand the SimPure product line, our food scientists will be creating similar ways to use familiar ingredients that provide the functional, label-friendly options our customers require.”

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