Tate & Lyle expands portfolio of tapioca-based thickening and gelling starches

Tate & Lyle, a leading global provider of food and beverage solutions and ingredients, has expanded its line of tapioca-based starches, with the launch of REZISTA® MAX thickening starches and BRIOGEL® gelling starches. 

The new tapioca starches will help food manufacturers improve the process tolerance, mouthfeel, fluidity and texture of such products as dairy, soups, sauces and dressings, confectionery, and more.

“Tapioca starch provides some unique formulation benefits such as a translucent colour and a soft gel-like texture that is especially appealing in certain applications such as dairy desserts, certain sauces, confectionery and processed cheese,” said Dr Mariana Perez-Herrera, Tate & Lyle research scientist.

In addition to providing the desirable neutral colour and flavour of a tapioca starch, the REZISTA® MAX thickening starches were developed to provide utmost texture and stability, even under extreme processing conditions, properties important to applications in dairy, puddings, fillings, soups, sauces and dressings.  

The new BRIOGEL® gelling starches create a soft gel and come in a range of strengths that are suitable for applications such as processed cheese. The fluidity of BRIOGEL® starches also triggers gelling after cooling which makes them optimal for use in confections such as gummy candies, jams, jellies and other applications.

“Tapioca starch is growing in popularity due to its unique texture profile, non-GMO credentials and the fact that it offers an alternative labelling option to corn starch”, said Sebastian Lemke, Director and Global Product Manager for tapioca at Tate & Lyle. “In fact, new products formulated with tapioca starch have been the fastest growing in the food industry over the last five years¹. We are seeing this trend play out as customers request more tapioca-based starches.”

This expansion of Tate & Lyle’s tapioca-based texturant range follows its agreement to acquire a well-established tapioca business in Thailand, Chaodee Modified Starch Co., Ltd., announced in October 2020. This investment extends Tate & Lyle’s presence in speciality tapioca-based texturants and establishes a dedicated production facility in the main tapioca region of eastern Thailand.

Tate & Lyle, a leader in speciality starches, has a comprehensive portfolio of over 250 corn, tapioca and potato products, offering a range of functionalities such as thickening, film-forming, gelling and emulsifying.

¹ 5YCAGR 2014-2019, Mintel Global New Product Database