This document discusses how starches can be creatively used in dairy products to improve texture, processing, shelf life, and other qualities. It explains that modified starches are generally needed for dairy applications as native starches cause problems. Different types of modified starches exist for various applications depending on the dairy product and processing conditions. The document provides details on various specialty starches that National Starch offers to help dairy processors develop innovative new products through technical support and formulation expertise.

1. Creatively using starches
in your dairy products

3. 1
For the past decade, dairy prod-
ucts has been one of the most
dynamic segments of the food pro-
cessing industry, accounting for a
high share of the seemingly end-
less stream of new food product
introductions.
Much of the industry’s success
has come as scientists have found
new ways to develop dairy prod-
ucts to make them even more
appealing to today’s quality-con-
scious consumers. One of the keys
to their success is incorporating
specialty starches into their formu-
lations for improved texture, pro-
cessing, shelf life and other manu-
facturing and customer benefits.
Starches can have a dramatic
effect on the texture of a dairy
product. They can increase the
viscosity of thin liquids to bring
out their full-bodied richness, and
modify more viscous substances
to make them smooth and creamy.
For more than half a century,
National Starch has been helping
dairy processors develop new and
innovative products through cre-
ative use of starches. We are better
prepared than ever to continue
these efforts, offering the widest
selection of starches for dairy prod-
ucts in the industry, along with
world class technical assistance.
Native vs. modified starches
Traditional native starches (typi-
cally labeled “corn starch”or “tapi-
oca starch”) are not normally rec-
ommended for dairy applications.
They lack process tolerance and
cause problems with poor texture,
viscosity instability and syneresis.
That is why they need to be modi-
fied to make them suitable for
dairy product applications.
The two methods commonly
used to modify food starches are
crosslinking and stabilization.
Crosslinking, or building chemical
bridges between the long molecu-
lar chains that make up starches,
improves process tolerance.
Starches modified by crosslinking
are better able to withstand the
effects of high-temperature pro-
cessing and high shear, for example.
Stabilization involves the addi-
tion of blocking groups to specific
parts of the starch molecule. Sta-
bilized starches exhibit superior
freeze/thaw and chill storage
properties and play a significant
role in reducing wheying off in
cultured dairy products. In addi-
tion, certain types of stabilization
treatments improve the mouthfeel
and creaminess of foods and
lower the gelatinization tempera-
ture, both of which are advanta-
geous in dairy products.
Modified starches improve char-
acteristics such as viscosity, texture
and mouthfeel. They can also
improve stability over the shelf life
of the product. But because dairy
products come in so many differ-
ent forms, from milk to yogurt to
ice cream, and are subjected to so
many different processes, it is
important to select the modified
starch that is best for each specific
application.
Starches can also be made from
different raw materials bases from
corn and waxy maize to tapioca
and potato. Tapioca starches,
either modified or native, have
been shown to offer superior fla-
vor release (which is important in
dairy systems) over other bases.
Each base has its own advantages
and disadvantages.
National Starch has experienced
technical personnel who can help
you make the best choice and can
help you shorten the time it takes
from initial product concept to
marketplace launch.
The selection process involves
not only knowledge about the
starch itself, but also about pro-
cessing conditions, ingredient
interactions, intended shelf life
and end use of the final product.
Interactions with milk proteins,
electrolytes, fat, sugar and other
system components also need to
be considered.
Specialty starches for
dairy products
Cook-Up and Viscosifying Starches
require heat to achieve their func-
tionality in terms of viscosity and
texture. When used as thicken-
ers/viscosifiers in dairy products,
their usage levels typically range
from 1 to 5%, with highly viscous
products such as puddings and
How to
choose the
best starch
for each of
your dairy
products
Hydrogen Bonding
Crosslinking Agent
Crosslinking Stabilization

4. 2
chilled desserts requiring 3 to 5%,
and thinner, more fluid formula-
tions such as yogurt and dairy
drinks requiring 1 to 3%.
Examples of cook-up starches
include National’s THERMFLO®
and THERMTEX®
starches.
Pregelatinized or Cold Water
Swelling (CWS) Starches are com-
monly used in applications where
there is no heat. These include
traditional products, such as
INSTANT CLEARJEL®
starch, but
also our new family of Ultra CWS
starches.* These starches also
require no heating and, in addi-
tion, have usage levels compara-
ble to their cook-up counterparts.
The recommended procedure
for adding
instant starches
to dairy prod-
ucts is to first
blend them with
other dry ingre-
dients, then add
the blended dry
mix to the liquid
phase using agi-
tation. Readily
dispersible
ULTRA products
such as ULTRA-
SPERSE®
M and
ULTRA-SPERSE
5, however, do not require dry
blending. This is particularly use-
ful in dairy products that are low
in solids.
A New Class of Native Starches in
many cases offers the best choice
when you want a “native starch”
declaration on your label. Called
NOVATION®
functional native
starches, they exhibit good process
tolerance, provide high viscosity
and have short, creamy textures
with good storage stability. These
characteristics previously were only
found in modified food starches.
NOVATION functional native
starches are also extremely bland
in flavor and melt away cleanly
in the mouth, allowing flavors to
burst through. This feature is
especially important for dairy
products, which are often delicate
in flavor. Flavor release has been
demonstrated in independent
tests using quantitative descrip-
tive analysis.
Fat-Replacement Starches impart
a smooth, creamy texture to dairy
products. The table on this page
summarizes National’s fat-replace-
ment starches that can be used in
a variety of dairy applications.
All of the fat replacers can be
used to formulate high-quality,
reduced-fat products which are
similar to their full-fat counter-
parts. Fat replacers are often used
in conjunction with cook-up or
instant, viscosifying starches so
that the formulation can be opti-
mized for viscosity, texture and
stability.
Texturizing Starches can reduce
the need for more costly ingredi-
ents. In dairy-based drinks, for
example,
TEXTRA®
starch can
replace sugar
solids and
expensive
hydrocolloids.
It provides
excellent
mouthfeel
without signif-
icantly increas-
ing viscosity,
remains stable
against gelling,
and does not
settle over time. INSTANT PURI-
TY®
SMR and NATIONAL®
DSR
can replace milk solids in ice
cream and novelty products, pro-
viding not only significant cost
savings, but also reduced melt-
down properties, enhanced
mouthfeel and resistance to heat
shock.
Fat Replacers for Use in Dairy
Product Base Type Texture Label Declaration
N OIL®
T C L Tapioca Dextrin
N LITE®
D W I L Maltodextrin
N LITE CL T C O Food Starch Modified
N LITE L W C O Food Starch Modified
N LITE LP W I O Food Starch Modified
N LITE P P I L Maltodextrin
INSTANT N OIL®
II T I L Tapioca Maltodextrin
Legend:
Base: T = Tapioca, W = Waxy maize, P = Potato
Type: C = Cook up, I = Instant
Texture: L = Lard like, O = Oil like
*Note: ULTRA starches are not approved for use in instant dessert
systems containing setting salts in the United States, Canada, the
United Kingdom, Ireland, France or Germany. In these countries,
traditional instant starches such as H50 and INSTANT CLEARJEL®
are recommended.

5. 3

6. 4

7. 5
Gelatin Replacement
STRUCT-SURE™
modified food
starches work as complete stabiliz-
er systems for cultured dairy
products. They can be used to
prepare yogurts, sour cream and
cheese derivatives, and a variety
of puddings – all with excellent
textural characteristics, firm set
and desirable rheological proper-
ties normally available only with
gelatin-containing products.
These products also offer the
processor the ability to save
money by replacing costly milk
solids, expensive hydrocolloids
and gelatin. Equally important,
STRUCT-SURE also meets the
strict dietary requirements of veg-
etarian, halal and kosher.
Processing affects starch choice
Most dairy products are pasteur-
ized. Different pasteurization
processes can be used, including
batch pasteurization, or
LTLT (Low Temperature
Long Time), HTST (High
Temperature Short Time)
and UHT (Ultra High
Temperature). The choice
of process affects the
choice of starch.
LTLT pasteurization typ-
ically takes place at 71°C
(160°F) for 30 minutes
and provides gentle cook-
ing conditions, under which the
starch hydrates and cooks. To
avoid undercooking the starch at
this relatively low temperature,
PURITY CSC and PURITY W are
recommended. For very low-tem-
perature processes, where even
PURITY CSC and PURITY W may
not be able to cook sufficiently,
FIRMTEX®
is recommended
because of its very low gelatiniza-
tion temperature.
Higher-temperature processing
covers a wide range of conditions.
HTST involves pasteurization at
temperatures and times which
vary from 82 to 120°C (180 - 248°F)
for 15 seconds to 10 minutes.
Under UHT conditions, the prod-
uct must reach a minimum tem-
perature of 138°C (280°F) for a
minimum of 2 seconds and typi-
cally 4 to 6 seconds.
A cook-up starch homogenized
prior to cooking or hydration will
be relatively undamaged as long
as it passes through the homoge-
nizer below its gelatinization tem-
perature, which typically occurs at
70°C (158°F) and above. When
process conditions require a starch
to pass through the homogenizer
partially or fully gelatinized, how-
ever, a moderately to highly
process-tolerant crosslinked starch
is necessary. Starches without suf-
ficient process tolerance can
undergo complete degradation
and fragmentation, losing most of
their functionality and resulting in
undesirable textural characteristics
and loss of viscosity, as well as
exhibiting increased syneresis.
Starches recommended for
HTST/UHT processing include
THERMTEX, THERMFLO,
THERMSHEAR™
and PURITY 87.
Your National Starch technical ser-
vice representative is trained to
make the appropriate recommen-
dation based on your processing
conditions.
The photomicrographs on this
page demonstrate that highly
process-tolerant starches, such as
THERMTEX, are able to retain
their functionality, exhibited by
granular integrity, during HTST
and UHT processing. Less
process-tolerant starches
break down and lose vis-
cosity and texture.
While HTST/UHT pro-
cessing is widely used,
some desserts are retorted
in continuous systems.
Starches such as PURITY®
660, NATIONAL 1457
and THERMTEX are
especially well suited for
these applications. They
remain low in viscosity during ini-
tial stages of retorting, allowing
convection to occur within the
container. This maximizes heat
penetration, minimizing the time
required for material at the center
of the container to reach its target
temperature. This, in turn, reduces
Starch Photomicrographs
THERMTEX®
(Good Cook)
Less process-
tolerant starch
(Over Cook)

8. 6
overall retorting time, resulting in
an improved product.
During the retort cycle, these
starches gradually thicken, devel-
oping their full viscosity by the
end of the process. PURITY 660
is particularly effective, providing
maximum heat penetration and
producing a thick, creamy final
product with a short, slightly
rigid texture.
There are also some dairy prod-
ucts that are prepared without
using heat, such as instant pud-
dings, instant mousses and instant
dairy-based sauces. These prepa-
rations, utilizing cold water or
milk, generally require an instant
thickener, such as INSTANT
PURE-FLO®
F or H50. Some heat-
ed preparations also may require
an instant starch because the tem-
perature reached and the time
elapsed during cooking are not
sufficient to hydrate and swell
a conventional
cook-up starch.
One example is
an instant cheese
sauce. When the
dry mix is com-
bined with boil-
ing water or
heated milk, the
temperature typi-
cally drops from
99°C (210°F) to
71 to 77°C (160-
170°F) within a
one-minute period. This short heat
treatment is not sufficient to
hydrate most cook-up starches
and can result in undercooking,
which can cause the sauce to be
thin, grainy, starchy in taste and
unstable. Therefore, an instant
starch, such as ULTRA-SPERSE M
or H50, is required in this situation.
Interactions with other
ingredients
When selecting a starch, it is crit-
ical to take into account both the
process conditions to which it will
be subjected and the other ingredi-
ents in the formulation in which it
is used. These can interfere with
hydration by competing for water
or coating the starch granule.
Dairy products vary widely in
their fat content. Full-fat sour
creams contain 18% fat, ice cream
is typically 10% fat or more, and
yogurt can range from 0 to 3% fat.
The higher the fat content, the
more difficult it becomes to fully
hydrate the starch because the fat
has a tendency to coat the gran-
ules, making their surface hydro-
phobic and causing them to repel
rather than absorb water. Thus,
with higher fat-content products,
it may be necessary to use an easi-
er-to-cook starch.
Hydrophilic solids, – sugars,
proteins, salts and other stabilizers
– on the other hand, compete with
the starch for available water,
retarding its gelatinization, or
hydration, during the cooking
process. In this case, as well, a
more easily hydratable starch may
be required.
Advanced rheology techniques
for more complete data
National Starch uses advanced
rheological tools to evaluate tex-
tural properties in dairy foods.
These include transient and steady
shear measurements of viscosity,
oscillatory shear measurements of
dynamic moduli (G’, G”), and
extensional fracture measurements.
One example of such textural
analysis is illustrated at left, where
the rheological
properties of three
different yogurts
are compared.
Each axis repre-
sents a different
textural attribute –
firmness, elasticity,
etc. The yogurt
containing experi-
mental starch “A”
exhibits viscosity
and firmness simi-
lar to the control
(a premium com-
mercial yogurt) but different elas-
ticity. By comparison, the yogurt
containing experimental starch
“B” closely matches the commer-
cial yogurt in all three textural
categories.
Textural Attributes of Yogurt
Premium
Stirred Yogurt
Commercial (control)
Stirred Yogurt
Experimental
Starch A
Stirred Yogurt
Experimental
Starch B
A = Firmness, B = Elasticity, C = Viscosity

9. 7

10. 8
Use of advanced rheo-
logical techniques allows
researchers to readily
determine which starch
best matches the profile of
the control sample in all
three textural categories of viscosi-
ty, firmness and elasticity – instead
of viscosity alone.
Storage and shelf life
Dairy products are stored under
a wide variety of conditions and
have distinctly different shelf lives.
Some are chilled and formulated
to stay fresh for days or weeks.
Others are frozen and designed to
keep for longer periods of time.
Still others are canned or sold in
aseptic packaging. Each may
require a different choice of starch.
National Starch offers specialty
starches with excellent refrigera-
tion and freeze/thaw stability.
Some of these starches exhibit
intrinsic compatibility with milk-
based formulations. Properly
used, they will not only extend the
shelf life of ready-to-eat (RTE)
yogurts and dairy desserts, but
also preserve their integrity and
keep them free of syneresis, or
wheying off.
Global technical support
Our international network of
food scientists, rheologists, bio-
chemists, nutritionists and chemi-
cal engineers are experienced
problem solvers in a wide range of
food processes and products. They
can not only help you select the
best starch, but also suggest the
best method of adding it to your
formulation, dramatically decreas-
ing the time it takes to move your
dairy products from the lab to the
marketplace.
We have built our reputation in
the food processing industry on
the quality of our people and our
technology. We maintain an excep-
tionally strong commit-
ment to R&D to support
our customers. As part of
this commitment, we have
built pilot plants in Asia,
Europe and North
America to serve our customers
around the globe. These pilot
plants, complete with some of the
most sophisticated processing
equipment and analytical instru-
mentation around today, are avail-
able to assist you in the develop-
ment of new products.
Working closely with our cus-
tomers ensures that we can meet
your needs for innovative ingredi-
ents that will help you satisfy the
demanding tastes of today’s
consumers.
If you would like to know more
about our specialty starches for
dairy products, or need assistance
in selecting the one that’s best for
you, contact your National Starch
representative via phone, mail, fax
or e-mail. Global contact informa-
tion is listed on the back cover.

12. Australia
National Starch & Chemical Pty., Ltd.
Seven Hills, NSW (Sydney)
Tel: +62 2-9624-6022
Fax: +62 2-9624-1468
Brazil
National Starch & Chemical Industrial Ltda.
São Paulo, SP
Tel: +55 11-861-3355
Fax: +55 11-861-1473
Canada
Nacan Products Ltd., Brampton, Ontario
Tel: +1 905-454-4466
Fax: +1 905-454-5207
China
National Starch & Chemical (Guangdong) Ltd.
Humen, Guangdong Province
Tel: +86 0769-5563700
Fax: +86 0769-5563703
Czech Republic
National Starch & Chemical, Praha
Tel: +42 (0) 2-782-2456
Fax: +42 (0) 2-781-7404
France
National Starch & Chemical S.A.
Villefranche-sur-Saône
Tel: +33 (0) 74-02-38-00
Fax: +33 (0) 74-02-39-00
Germany
National Starch & Chemical GmbH, Neustadt
Tel: +49 (0) 6327-382-0
Fax: +49 (0) 6327-382-259
Indonesia
PT Nasional Citra Sejahtera, Jakarta
Tel: +62 21-650 7542
Fax: +62 21-650 9730
Italy
National Starch & Chemical S.p.A
Mezzago (Milan)
Tel: +39 (0) 39-60921
Fax: +39 (0) 39-6092201
Japan
Nippon NSC Ltd., Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Tel: +81 3-3542-7731
Fax: +81 3-3542-7794
Korea
National Starch & Chemical Ltd., Sucho-ku,
Seoul
Tel: +82 2-581-3511
Fax: +82 2-3473-7908
Malaysia
National Starch & Chemical (M) Sdn. Bhd.
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Tel: +60 3 559-1104/1105/1563
Fax: +60 3-550-9718
Mexico
Aranal Comercial, S.A. de C.V., Mexico D.F.
Tel: +52 5-395-9587
Fax: +52 5-395-6981
the Netherlands
National Starch & Chemical B.V.
Zutphen
Tel: +31 (0) 575-582500
Fax: +31 (0) 575-582690
New Zealand
National Starch & Chemical N.Z., Ltd.
East Tamaki, Auckland
Tel: +64 9-274-4074
Fax: +64 9-274-4070
Philippines
Inter-National Starch & Chemical Co., Inc.
Metro Manila
Tel: +63 2-837-1791
Fax: +63 2-837-2756
Republic of South Africa
National Starch & Chemical (Pty.) Ltd.
Wadeville, Transvaal
Tel: +27 11-820-7222
Fax: +27 11-820-7298
Singapore
National Starch and Chemical (Asia) Pte., Ltd.
Science Park II
Tel: +65 872-5335
Fax: +65 872-5988
Spain
National Starch & Chemical S.A., Barcelona
Tel: +34 (0) 3-635-6060
Fax: +34 (0) 3-635-6075
Sweden
National Starch & Chemical AB, Norrköping
Tel: +46 (0) 11-219700
Fax: +46 (0) 11-125451
Switzerland
National Starch & Chemical AG
Sempach Station
Tel: +41 (0) 41-469-6966
Fax: +41 (0) 41-469-6906
Taiwan
National Starch & Chemical Ltd.
Ping Cheng City, Taoyuan Hsien
Tel: +886 3-469-6650
Fax: +886 3-419-1080
Thailand
National Starch & Chemical (Thailand) Ltd.
Bangplee, Samutprakarn
Tel: +66 2-312-0530
Fax: +66 2-312-0258
United Kingdom
National Starch & Chemical Limited
Manchester, England
Tel: +44 (0) 161-435-3200
Fax: +44 (0) 161-435-3300
Worldwide
You’ll find us everywhere
U.S.A.
Berkeley, CA
Tel: +1 510-548-6722
Fax: +1 510-841-3150
Bridgewater, NJ
Tel: +1 800-797-4992
Fax: +1 732-417-5696
Lincolnshire, IL
Tel: +1 847-945-7500
Fax: +1 847-945-7505
St. Louis, MO
Tel: +1 314-966-0900
Fax: +1 314-966-6904
The information given and the recommendations made herein are based on our research and are believed to be accurate but no guarantee of their accuracy is made. In every case we urge and recommend that
purchasers before using any product in full scale production make their own tests to determine to their own satisfaction whether the product is of acceptable quality and is suitable for their particular purposes
under their own operating conditions. No representative of ours has any authority to waive or change the foregoing provisions but, subject to such provisions, our engineers are available to assist purchasers in
adapting our products to their needs and to the circumstances prevailing in their business. Nothing contained herein shall be construed to imply the nonexistence of any relevant patents or to constitute a per-
mission, inducement or recommendation to practice any invention covered by any patent, without the authority from the owner of this patent. We also expect purchasers to use our products in accordance with
the guiding principles of the Chemical Manufacturers Association’s Responsible Care® program.
© 1998 National Starch and Chemical Company1717-98-439-5M
National Starch and Chemical Company, 10 Finderne Avenue, Bridgewater, New Jersey 08807-3300 U.S.A.
National Starch and Chemical Information Center Tel: 1-800-797-4992 Fax: 1-732-417-5696 Internet: http://www.nationalstarch.com