Don’t ignore wheat starch for gluten-free foods, says supplier

Its Sanostar ingredient is produced without the use of enzymes or processing aids. Instead, the gluten is washed out using untreated spring water in a "natural​" process, it said.

The starch functions well in cakes and biscuits compared to corn or tapioca starches, it said, creating tastes “more akin to traditional recipes​”.

Sanostar can also be used as a gluten-free binding agent for sauces such as béarnaise or béchamel as well as in batters or coatings.

Andrew Ulrick, Director of Ulrick & Short, Kröner-Stärke’s partner in the UK said: “Market demand for gluten free continues to grow, and in the case of Sanostar & Sanogel consumers can feel totally confident that even with a 'wheat starch' declaration these products are functionally and nutritionally suitable for a gluten-free diet.”​

Sanostar can be listed as a gluten-free wheat starch on pack and the company said it is "completely suitable​" for people intolerant to gluten and sufferers of coeliac disease.

Henrik de Vries, commercial manager at Kröner-Stärke told FoodNavigator: “All our gluten-free products are suitable for people with coeliac disease. Every batch is tested in our internal and an external lab to avoid any risk of a too high gluten content in the final product by a cross contamination. The content of gluten in the final product was reduced significantly and the products are all in accordance with the recommendations of the German Coeliac Association.”​

According to market research company Euromonitor, the gluten-free market was worth €1.4 billion in 2011 and is expected to hit €3.9bn by 2020.