New Gluten-Free Wheat Starch Promises Superior Baking Qualities

Celiac.com 05/24/2022 - A new gluten-free wheat starch from Sweden could help to improve gluten-free baking options for people with gluten-intolerance and celiac disease.

Lantmännen Biorefineries has announced the launch of its new gluten-free wheat starch. Produced with wheat from Sweden's autumn wheat harvest, the company promises a gluten-free wheat starch  "with good baking properties that do not affect the final product’s taste," says Lars Franzén, head of food ingredients at Lantmännen Biorefineries. 

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Compared to other starches, wheat starch offers numerous baking advantages. It provides the proper elasticity, and helps to stabilize bread structure and texture. 

Without wheat starch, gluten-free bakers often have to try to mirror these qualities using other ingredients, such as hydrocolloids and fibers. Gluten-free wheat starch allows bakers to use the same baking formulations for gluten-free goods as they use for traditional baked goods. Because it's gluten-free, it's safe for people with celiac disease.

The gluten-free wheat starch has been approved for sale and gluten-free labeling, and will be first debut exclusively in the Nordic region, and in northern Europe, where demand for gluten-free food products is high. There's currently no word on if, or when,  this new gluten-free wheat starch will be available in the U.S. 

People with celiac disease or dermatitis herpetiformis who are very sensitive to even trace amounts of gluten may want to avoid products that use wheat starch, as Celiac.com has received many complaints about products that utilize gluten-free wheat starch.

Stay tuned for more on this and related stories.

Read more at Foodingredientsfirst.com