Functional flours will ride on the gluten-free wave, says food consultant

By Kacey Culliney

- Last updated on GMT

Functional flours could tap into mega trends like gluten-free, says food consultant
Functional flours could tap into mega trends like gluten-free, says food consultant

Related tags Food Wheat

The gluten-free boom has sparked incentive to innovate in functional flours, says the president of food consultancy firm Best Vantage.

Daniel Best said functional flours that helped texture, processing and nutrition in gluten-free grain-based foods held huge promise.

“One of the things we’re advocating in gluten-free is you better use an enriched flour if the category is to thrive,”​ he told attendees at a conference held at last month’s IFT.

Use of tapioca starch and xanthan gum to replace the gelling and film-forming properties in gluten-free foods; blue corn and sorghum to increase the antioxidant content; or nuts to add texture and flavor were just a few examples.

There was opportunity to develop functional flours in two ways – by choosing specific components from other food sources to include or by breeding and further processing the flours.

Caution! Functional flours need a good narrative

However, he said use of functional flours in gluten-free remained in early stages and so manufacturers had to focus on several things to guarantee success.

Firstly, a “compelling narrative”​ was vital, he said. “One of the problems with ancient grains is that we risk losing the compelling story. There’s been a lot of emphasis on using new grains like teff and amaranth, and it started off with a compelling narrative, but where are the documentable benefits? … If you’re going to put teff into a product, come up with a good narrative.”

Documentable and tangible consumer benefits were extremely important, he said, particularly in terms of communicating nutritional, functional, performance or economic benefits.

It helped, he said, to have governmental or regulatory validation. “One of the best things that happened with gluten-free was when the federal government came up with a definition,”​ he said.

In addition, companies needed scientific validation, he said. “You need a verifiable outcome. I think it’s going to be possible with pulses, oils and nuts.”

Gluten-free, GMO, wheat belly – take them as a good thing

Best said that there had been a huge number of trends shaping the bakery segment, from gluten-free and wheat belly, to non-GMO and the Paleo diet. But, he said, manufacturers should not be scared off by these ‘narratives’; rather ride on them.

“Every time we see a new narrative come up, we should see it as a new opportunity... These narratives stimulate innovation; they force us to change how we look at our food supply; they force us to approach product innovation in new and innovative ways. Such narratives serve as the engines of food and beverage innovation,”​ he said.

Best Vantage had identified sodium, high fiber and whole grain as strong trending narratives that could be tapped into in addition to gluten-free.

Related news

Show more

Related products

show more

GET GREEN FASTER: Low-CI Dextrose/Glucose Syrups

GET GREEN FASTER: Low-CI Dextrose/Glucose Syrups

Content provided by Green Plains Inc. | 01-Mar-2024 | Data Sheet

Elevate your products with Green Plains’ premium, low carbon-intensity corn syrups. Drop-in replacements with an up to 40% lower carbon footprint than...

Efficacy of OLESSENCE™ B Liquid Natural Flavouring

Efficacy of OLESSENCE™ B Liquid Natural Flavouring

Content provided by Kemin Food Technologies | 26-Feb-2024 | Case Study

The main challenge with baked goods today is the prevention of oxidative rancidity with natural alternatives while maintaining the quality, freshness,...

Bun quality issues? Let us help

Bun quality issues? Let us help

Content provided by Corbion | 03-Jan-2024 | Insight Guide

Most bakeries occasionally struggle with bun quality, from low product volume to crust issues and grain/cell problems. The good news is that most bun quality...

Related suppliers

2 comments

Glass Half Full

Posted by DF Busken,

Excellent reminder to look at the challenge as opportunity. What you learn developing GF products could translate over to help in formulations for more conventional opportunities. I would add protein incorperation goes well with GF also, though likely not allergen free.

Report abuse

Bakers are still not getting the message

Posted by Anna Jacobs,

Research is showing a significant number of people to be maize intolerant, more than previously thought. And what's listed in these flours? Corn, and xanthan gum made from corn. Sigh.

Report abuse

Follow us

Products

View more

Webinars