Loryma offers wheat starch replacements for titanium dioxide

Loryma Wheat Starch. Copyright Crespel & Deiters

Loryma (Zwingenberg, Germany), a member of the Crespel & Deiters group, is offering two alternatives to the white pigment titanium dioxide, which will no longer be recognized by the European Food Safety Authority as safe to use in food. Loryma’s alternatives include two wheat starches: Lory Starch Iris and Lory Starch Elara.

Lory Starch Iris is a native small-grain starch with small, uniform particles (<10 µm) that allow them to attach homogenously to surfaces and thus produce an even lightening effect in coatings. Because the starch swells on heating, it is suitable for lightening dry or cold applications such as sweets, including chocolate lentils and chewing gum.

Loryma Starch Elara is a resistant wheat starch which is suitable for applications that contain water and are heated because it does thicken in these environments. The resistant and crystalline particles produce a lightening effect in foods that contain water and are heated such as dressings, desserts, and puddings.

Both starches have a whiteness of about 98 on a scale of 0 (black) to 100 (white), and can be declared as wheat starch and modified wheat starch labels, respectively. “The topic of titanium dioxide substitutes has been occupying food manufacturers from all sectors since EFSA published its assessment in the summer,” says Norbert Klein, head of product development at Loryma, in a press release. “Manufacturers now have until mid-2022 to change their recipes and processes. We stand by our customers, not only with functional products, but also with advice and support to implement a visually perfect end product that complies with regulatory requirements.”