Category: Ingredient technology

Food additives like E1442 are used in over 91% of processed foods, but many people don't know what they do. So, what is the function of E1442, also known as hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate? It is primarily used as a highly effective thickening, stabilizing, and emulsifying agent in the food industry to enhance product texture and stability.

According to the Corn Refiners Association, the dextrose equivalent (DE) is defined as 'reducing sugars expressed as dextrose and calculated as a percentage of the dry substance'. It is not a standard unit of measurement like grams or liters, but a relative scale that indicates the degree of starch breakdown in a carbohydrate product.

The dextrose equivalent (DE) of maltodextrin can range from 3 to 20, a metric that indicates the extent of starch hydrolysis. This value is critical for determining its functional properties, from sweetness and solubility to viscosity, and explains its widespread use in the food and beverage industries.

A single gram of EPG oil contains just 0.7 calories, a remarkable 92% reduction compared to the 9 calories found in traditional fats. But what is EPG oil made of, and how does this innovative modified plant-based oil achieve such a dramatic caloric reduction without compromising the experience of eating fat?

Hydrolyzed wheat starch is a natural ingredient used in both cosmetic and food products, created by breaking down wheat starch through a process called hydrolysis. This process alters the starch's molecular structure, resulting in a unique compound with hydrating and film-forming properties that make it a versatile and effective additive.

Lactose, the sugar naturally found in milk, is present in nearly all dry dairy ingredients and is intentionally added to a vast array of processed foods for a variety of functional purposes. This versatile ingredient plays a much larger role than simply providing sweetness, acting as a critical component in food manufacturing to achieve desired texture, flavor, and stability.

Comprising about 2–8% of milk by weight, lactose is a versatile ingredient widely used beyond dairy products, primarily in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Its unique properties make it an invaluable component for manufacturers seeking to improve the quality, stability, and texture of their products.

Developed in 1968, olestra is a synthetic fat substitute that provides the taste and texture of fat in food without adding any calories, allowing food manufacturers to reduce the caloric content of their products.

Over 50% of the food-grade starch produced in the EU is converted into starch sweeteners. The sweeteners are derived from starch through a process that breaks down its complex glucose chains into smaller, sweet-tasting units.

Gram for gram, fat contains more than twice the calories of starch, making starch-based ingredients a powerful tool for reducing the energy density of foods. For decades, the food industry has developed and utilized modified starch to effectively act as a fat substitute, mimicking its functions in a variety of products.