Accu-Gel™ Pea Starch

Derived from Canadian yellow peas, Accu-Gel a solvent-free, allergen-free, gluten-free, GMO-free and vegan-friendly native starch with a broad range of food applications.

Overview

While yellow peas are best known for their protein and fiber constituents, they are comparatively a more abundant source of starch, comprising 40-45% of the dry pea.

Through an innovative wet process, Norleaf Foods Inc™ produces Accu-Gel™ Pea Starch in conjunction with the manufacture of protein and fiber from peas. This provides a distinct economic advantage over traditionally sourced starches like corn, wheat and potato. By offering a unique functionality applicable to a broad range of food applications, Accu-Gel allows food designers to create food products that not only have superior attributes, but that also meet the latest market trends.

Key Benefits

A Clean Label Alternative

With growing consumer demand for food traceability and “clean” labels and products, food processors are increasingly looking for native starches with the same functionality as modified starches. As a native pea starch, Accu-Gel is obtained as-is from yellow peas and refined without chemical modification.

Accu-Gel’s high amylose content gives the ingredient better thickening, gelling and film-forming properties while having processing tolerance commonly only found in modified food starches. Additive-free, Accu-Gel is an excellent solution to aid in the production of clean-labeled frozen, baked and refrigerated products without sacrificing product quality and processing performance.

Excellent Flavor Profile

Salt is often used to mask the cereal flavor some starches contribute when cooked. Unlike other starches, Accu-Gel has a clean, bland flavor, which lends itself well to delicate flavor profiles and can help reduce the amount of salt used in processing.

Gluten- and Allergen-Free

With the rise in popularity of the gluten-free label, manufacturers are increasingly seeking starches from sources other than wheat. Accu-Gel has demonstrated success in a vast number of gluten-free products and can replace up to 50% of commonly used gluten-free starches and flours.

When replacing rice flour and potato starch in gluten-free muffins, cookies and cakes, Accu-Gel has provided notable improvement in texture and softness. In gluten-free breads, it has shown to significantly improve loaf color, density and crumb texture. Furthermore, dough and crackers containing pea starch as the base ingredient exhibit good physical properties and acceptable dough quality without requiring additional moisture.

A “Good” Carb

As a slowly digestible starch, Accu-Gel offers a low glycemic index. The metabolic advantages of native pea starch were confirmed in a study of 26 healthy subjects where responses following acute ingestion of pea starch vs. modified and unmodified cornstarches were compared. Pea starch elicited less hyperglycaemia (-47%), hyperinsulinaemia (-54%) and C- peptide secretion (-37%) as compared to the cornstarches. Tolerability of pea starch was excellent, opening the possibilities for pea starch to gain prebiotic status and replace cornstarch in industrial food production.

All About the Amylose

No two starches are created equal — each source of starch has its own individual properties and advantages depending upon their amylose:amylopectin ratio. As seen in the table below, Accu-Gel has a relatively high amylose content of 30-50%, compared with 20-28% found in most conventional starches. Because of this, Accu-Gel offers a unique set of functional characteristics for food formulators and processors seeking to differentiate their products and solve formulating problems.

All Gelled Up

Accu-Gel Pea Starch is considered one of the best unmodified gelling starches in the food market. Its gelatinization capacity and viscosity profile are comparable to those of certain modified cross-linked starches, demonstrating an ability to form very strong, firm and sliceable gels.

At a 5% concentration and cooking at 68°C, Accu-Gel forms a gel that is over 10 times firmer than wheat, corn or potato starch gels. Moreover, at normal cooking temperatures, pea starch can form a gel at usage levels as low as 4%, compared to 10-20% with other starches. When comparing Accu-Gel to a common native potato starch on the market, the potato starch required a 25% minimum usage level to attain even a soft gel.

Food Applications

Accu-Gel’s unique gelling properties offer solutions to many food applications, including:

• Binding in cheese and meat analogues
• Puddings and gelatinized custards
• Texture in canned fish & meat products
• Improvements to soy protein-stabilized food emulsions (e.g. tofu)
• Chewier texture in soft candy products
• Sausages and reformed meats
• Hot fruit preparations for pectin replacement
• Gelatin replacement for vegan/religious foods
• Stabilization of low-fat dairy products (e.g. sour cream, yogurts, frozen desserts)
• Food coatings (e.g. pre-dusts, batters, breading, glazes)

Non-Food Applications

Because of its unique properties, Accu-Gel can be used in non-food applications, including:

• Tablet disintegrates
• Corrugated cardboard glue
• Feed & pet food