Development of starch texture rheological maps through empirical modeling of starch swelling behavior

Abstract

Starches are commonly used in sauces, dressings, dairy products, bakery items, confections, and snacks due to their wide range of functional properties. However, using starches to deliver palatable textures is often challenging because multiple texture and rheological attributes have to be balanced simultaneously. Textural properties of even simple starch-thickened foods can vary in surprising ways with changes in starch swelling volume and concentration. Thus, we have modeled the swelling behavior of starch thickeners to develop rheological maps of starch texture as a predictive tool for formulation of starch-thickened foods. Predictive equations for starch suspension viscosity, elastic modulus, phase angle, critical strain and shear thinning index were developed as a function of starch swelling volume and concentration, and these equations showed good fit with experimental data (R2 ≥ 0.89). The developed starch texture maps overlay cutoff lines of various texture behaviors over plots of either viscosity or elastic modulus as a function of starch swelling volume and concentration, indicating zones of various rheologically-influenced texture properties such as shear-thinning and significant elastic behavior. The starch texture maps provide a powerful predictive and visual tool that enables targeted, efficient development of texture solutions for starch-thickened foods.