At the recent Snaxpo trade show, held in Savannah, Georgia, Ingredion showcased baked potato chips made with Precisa Crisp 31 native corn starch and Precisa Crisp 130 modified tapioca starch, as well as baked tortilla chips made with Precisa Crisp 320 native corn starch and Precisa Crisp 151 modified tapioca starch.
According to Matt Yurgec, Ingredion’s associate of global applications, customer solutions and product innovation, the startches result in different textures. Precisa Crisp 151, for instance, creates a hard and crunchy texture for baked chips, while Precisa Crisp 320 gives a much lighter and crispier texture.
“They also have different goals ... [such as when] manufacturers are trying to get a more cohesive dough so it’s easy to sheet and not sticky,” he said.
“Our products provide a great deal of expansion, too, so baked potato chip producers can avoid the blistering effect occurring to their products.”
Baked not fried
Most baked chips in the US market do not have a good texture or flavors, which is why many consumers still choose fried chips over the baked ones, said Ingredion.
The current market for tortilla chips, for example, is dominated by the fried version because of the more popular texture and taste it delivers.
However, there has been an increase in baked chip releases, driven by the health and wellness trend. This site reported Mondelēz recently introduced its baked potato chip brand, Ritz Crisp & Thins, to the US market after a successful launch in the UK.
Latest data from Euromonitor shows that PepsiCo and Grupo Bimbo make up the largest share in the US tortilla chip category. PepsiCo-owned Doritos, Tostitos, Fritos and Santitas rank first, second, third and fourth, while Grupo Bimbo’s Takis brand ranks fifth in terms of US market share.
‘Dial-in’ texture
From a nutritional standpoint, Ingredion’s texturizers can be incorporated into high-fiber, high-protein snacks, Yurgec said.
“High fiber and high protein can also cause defects to the textures of snacks,” he explained.
While Ingredion primarily focuses on textures, the company also pays attention to what ingredients would work well with certain snack formats.
“What we call our 'dial-in’ program helps us understand what goals our customers are trying to achieve” Yurgec said.
"Then we utilize our texture tools, like sensory and analytical measurements, to find the right ingredients for the desired texture and flavor the customer wants.”