4 minute read
The REMY-dy to your confectionery coating problem
The REMY-dy to your confectionery coating problem
We all eat with our eyes first. Thus, it’s no surprise that food manufacturers utilise both natural and artificial food colours to market and sell their products. The technological function of a food colour is to enhance the visual appeal, provide colour to food that would otherwise be colourless as well as to restore the original appearance of food. Carien Schoeman and Roné Luttig from Savannah discuss rice starch as a clean label alternative to Titanium dioxide (TiO2).
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) (E171) is widely used in the food industry to impart the colour white to food. TiO2 is the go-to white food colourant because with its high brightness and refractive index, it gives the best results at a low dose. It is due to these benefits that TiO2 is widely used in confectionery coating for products such as chewing gums, hard candy, chocolate lentils and candy-coated nuts and seeds.
During January 2022, the EuropeanCommission amended their regulations regarding the food additive TiO2 the use of TiO2 as a food additive in theEuropean Union. The phasing out period ends on 7 August 2022 after which a full ban will apply.
The ban of TiO2 was the result of theEuropean Food Safety Authority (EFSA)panel on Food Additives and Flavourings(FAF), which included a safety assessment of TiO2 as a food additive. This assessment was published at the beginning of May 2021 and stated that using TiO2 as a food additive is no longer considered safe based on new reliable scientific data indicating that it has possible carcinogenic effects in humans.
With an increased awareness of health and wellbeing, the ban on TiO2 in the EU has already made its way to South African manufacturers and customers alike. Effecting exported and local products, confectionery manufactures are looking for clean label TiO2 replacers to be used in white confectionery coatings. Beneo offers rice starch solutions that can contribute to a high level of whiteness and, thus, is perfectly suited to act as clean label TiO2 replacer in confectionery coatings.
The advantages of using Beneo’s Remy B7 in confectionery coatings are well beyond just the whitening effect.
Here are some of the advantages of rice starch:
• Remy B7 is a native rice starch that has a very fine particle size. Due to the fact that rice starch has the smallest starch granules of all the common starches like maize, potato, tapioca and wheat, it is more functional to use as a TiO2 replacement in confectionery coatings. The confectionery has uneven gaps on the surface that the fine rice particles easily fill, giving it a smooth effect on the surface, which results in uniform colour distribution and a smooth mouthfeel.
• The rice starch has good adhesion to the confection and the natural whiteness of rice compared to other starches gives it a higher degree of whitening.
• Remy B7 has no impact on sensorial properties of the final product.
• There is a reduction in the drying time during the coating process with the use of Remy B7, which results in an increase in production capacity.
• Remy B7 is a native starch and thus, has a no food additive status resulting in a clean label declaration as starch.
Remy B7 is just one example of the clean label solutions offered by Savannah for the food industry. Contact Savannah for more solutions to your food and beverage manufacturing problems. •
Savannah Fine Chemicals – www.savannah.co.za
Beneo – www.beneo.com
