It’s time to take gluten-free to the next level.
Gluten-free has gone from fad to trend and finally, to a mainstay.
Over the last decade, the gluten-free food industry has expanded its focus market to address not only the needs of celiac consumers and others with a gluten-intolerance, but also consumers that choose to avoid gluten for the perceived health benefits. Increased popularity of the keto diet can intersect with gluten-free as well if net carbohydrates are restricted.
There has since been an abundance of gluten-free products introduced into the market. Although initially they often were described as dry, dense or chewy, the quality and diversity of gluten-free products on the market have greatly improved with respect to texture, taste and desirability, due to advances in food science and technology.
It’s about time: gluten-free without sacrifice.
With so many gluten-free options available online and on grocery store shelves, a gluten-free claim is no longer a product’s claim to fame. Consumers want more. In order to stand out—and to earn a space in their shopping cart—gluten-free products need to step it up by offering additional functionality and a texture comparable to its conventional counterpart.
Ingredient Spotlight
There are many ingredients that will help bring your gluten-free products to market, fueled for success:
Potato Starch:
When it comes to creating a perfectly chewy texture for your gluten-free baked goods, potato starch is a great place to start. Unmodified potato starch has a long cohesive gel texture, disperses easily in cold water, and has a very high peak viscosity, making it a strong thickening and stabilizing agent in gluten-free applications.
Xanthan Gum:
From pizza dough to bread and muffin mixes, xanthan gum is a great ingredient alternative to help yield the right texture in gluten-free products. Often mixed with gluten-free flours, its strong stabilizing and thickening properties create a gel-like structure, yielding a less-crumby, dry product.
Moving Forward: Free of Gluten, Full of Flavour.
As consumers continue to taste the difference in gluten-free products coming to market, expectations will undoubtedly rise. Moving forward, expect to see manufacturers across the food industry develop gluten-free products with high flavour profiles, improved texture and added nutritional functionalities in order to meet consumer demands.
Let’s Team Up.
At Blendtek Ingredients, our priority is to support your team. From our consulting services and formulation expertise, through to sourcing ingredients within our trusted supply network, we will accelerate the success of your product pipeline with ingredient solutions that deliver.