Is Your Starch or Your Production Process the Problem?
When a food product performs well during manufacturing but fails when the customer prepares it, the cause isn’t always obvious. It’s common to point the finger at the ingredients, but the problem could be the process. Or, as John R. White’s Technical Services team discovered with one major kettle cook manufacturer, it can be both.
A large kettle cooking operation was experiencing problems with cheese sauces that appeared to be within specification when they left the manufacturing process but separated when customers reheated them.
JRW evaluated the cooking process and identified a primary issue: the starch was not being cooked long enough to reach the necessary level of swelling and functional development.
But the investigation uncovered another opportunity.
The starch being used was not the optimal fit for the manufacturer’s processing conditions.
By addressing both the process and the ingredient, JRW helped the manufacturer transition to a more robust starch system and consolidate starch usage across multiple facilities.
The result was improved product consistency and more than $500,000 in cost savings.
Are you having a problem with product consistency?
The Challenge: Cheese Sauce That Broke Down During Reheating
The manufacturer produces a wide range of kettle-cooked products, including cheese sauces, macaroni and cheese, queso, and marinara sauce.
The production team contacted JRW after encountering an issue with its cheese sauces.
The sauces appeared to be performing properly during manufacturing. However, when customers reheated the finished product, the sauce could separate and fall outside the expected performance specifications.
Identifying the Root Cause: Process Meets Ingredient
JRW’s Technical Services team reviewed the manufacturer’s cooking process and discovered that the starch was underswelled due to insufficient cooking time and temperature, preventing it from reaching the necessary functionality for consumer reheating. However, the investigation revealed that the process was only part of the issue. The starch itself was not the ideal fit for the plant’s operating conditions.
To deliver a complete solution, JRW educated the production team on how time and temperature drive starch hydration and development, enabling operators to recognize properly cooked starch during production. Simultaneously, JRW identified a more robust starch system better suited to the manufacturer’s equipment, allowing the business to simplify formulations and transition to a more reliable ingredient across multiple facilities.
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Strategic Benefits of Starch Optimization and Consolidation
Selecting the right starch requires evaluating product applications, processing conditions, hydration, and desired finished-product characteristics to ensure the ingredient fits the actual process. When starches are properly matched and consolidated across multiple SKUs or facilities, food manufacturers gain significant operational advantages beyond simple ingredient unit costs.
Standardizing on a versatile, robust starch system streamlines purchasing, simplifies inventory management, and builds supply chain resilience against sourcing disruptions. By aligning ingredient functionality with processing parameters, manufacturers improve production consistency, reduce waste, and unlock substantial savings—as demonstrated by the kettle cook manufacturer generating over $500,000 in cost reductions across its operations.
Could Starch Consolidation Simplify Your Ingredient Strategy?
Using Microscopy to Evaluate Starch Development
The technical relationship between JRW and the manufacturer did not end after the initial production trials. As the customer continues transitioning its SKUs, its team sends JRW microscopy images of starch samples taken during production. The starch is dyed with iodine and viewed under a microscope.
These images give the technical team another way to evaluate starch development and help the customer understand how the cooking process is progressing.
This ongoing exchange allows JRW to continue supporting the manufacturer as additional products move to the new starch system.
It also illustrates an important part of technical services: building knowledge within the customer’s own production team, helping the manufacturer understand why the solution works and how to evaluate the process.
Ingredient Price Is Only Part of the Equation
The lowest-cost ingredient isn’t always the lowest-cost solution. If an ingredient creates inconsistent performance, processing problems, product failures, or customer complaints, its actual cost can be much higher than its invoice price suggests.
A more complete evaluation considers total cost-in-use.
That can include:
- Ingredient cost
- Production efficiency
- Product consistency
- Yield
- Waste
- Processing performance
- Supply availability
- Inventory considerations
In the case of this kettle cook manufacturer, starch optimization ultimately created more than $500,000 in savings while also addressing a product performance issue.
The value came from looking at the entire system rather than focusing on ingredient price alone.
Frequently Asked Questions About Starch Matching and Substitution
What is starch matching in food manufacturing?
Starch matching is the process of identifying a starch that is appropriate for a specific product formulation and manufacturing process. The goal is to select an ingredient that provides the required functionality under the actual processing conditions.
Why would a food manufacturer substitute one starch for another?
Manufacturers may consider starch substitution to improve product performance, address supply concerns, consolidate ingredients, reduce costs, or find an ingredient that better fits their processing conditions.
Can the wrong starch cause food product problems?
It can. Starch functionality depends on the application and processing environment. In this case, JRW identified that the existing starch was not the optimal fit for the manufacturer’s manufacturing conditions.
Can cooking conditions affect starch performance?
Yes. In this case, insufficient cooking time prevented the starch from reaching the necessary level of swelling and functional development.
What is starch swelling?
Starch swelling refers to the development that occurs as starch interacts with water and heat during processing. The extent of development can affect the functional performance of a starch within a food formulation.
What is starch consolidation?
Starch consolidation involves reducing the number of starch ingredients or starch systems used across products or facilities when a suitable alternative can meet the necessary formulation and processing requirements.
Can starch consolidation reduce costs?
It can create opportunities for purchasing efficiency and ingredient cost reduction. In this case, transitioning most applicable SKUs to a more robust starch system generated more than $500,000 in cost savings.
Why is process optimization important when changing starches?
Changing the ingredient may not solve an underlying processing problem. In this case, JRW identified both a cooking issue and an opportunity to use a more robust starch. Addressing both helped create a more effective solution.
Could Your Starch Strategy Be More Robust?
Additional Resource
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provides information on food ingredients and their role in food products through its food ingredient and packaging resources.
For manufacturers evaluating starch substitutions or other formulation changes, ingredient decisions should be assessed based on the specific product, process, regulatory requirements, and intended use.
