16

Thickeners

16.1 INTRODUCTION
Thickeners or binding compounds are materials which alter the viscosity and/or
structure of liquids or liquid products. In the kitchen, products such as potato starch,
cornflour and gelatine have been used for years. These compounds are often less
suitable for use in industry. The high temperatures during the sterilization process or
the long storage in the deep-frozen state can influence the binding capability badly.
The food industry has developed techniques to alter existing binding compounds in
such a way that they beocme more suitable for various industrial applications (the
modified starches).
Besides binding compounds, the industry also uses compounds to maintain
existing structures in products or to reinforce them, for instance emulsifiers and
stabilizers. Some compounds have a double function, and can function in the product
both as a binding compound and as a stabilizer. Included under thickeners are
products based on carbohydrates, products based on fats, products based on proteins
and pudding powders.

16.2 PRODUCTS BASED ON CARBOHYDRATES

Green plants produce glucose by the process of photosynthesis. The largest part of
the glucose is stored in the form of starch grains as a carbohydrate reserve in seeds,
root parts and bulbs. Another part of the glucose is changed into cellulose and used
for building the cell wall. Some plants do not store their reserve as starch, but as other
carbohydrates such as inulin, carrageen or agar-agar.

Starch
Starch is made up of two polysaccharides: amylose and amylopectin. The separate
starch types differ from each other by their contents of amylose (14-30 per cent) and
amylopectin (86-70 per cent).

C. M. E. Catsberg et al., Food Handbook

© Ellis Horwood 1990
206 Thickeners [Ch.16

Amylose consists of long straight chains without branching. Through this a large
surface area is available for contact with other amylose chains. Between these
separate chains exist great attraction forces from the formation of hydrogen bonds.
Between amylose and water molecules hydrogen bonds are also formed which
enables amylose to bind a lot of water in the formation of a firm network (gel).
Amylopectin consists of long chains with branches. Because of the globular or
ball-shaped structure, through which little contact surface exists, there is no great
mutual attraction between the amylopectin molecules. The water-binding ability of
amylopectin is large but the gelling ability is indeed small, because few bonds are
possible between the different amylopectin molecules.
Starch is difficult to dissolve in cold water. During boiling in water swelling and
stiffening occurs. The viscosity of the liquid increases. A gel forms after quickly
cooling down. On very slow cooling under certain circumstances, such as the cooling
or bread, retrogradation occurs. This is the result of the binding of the long chains of
the amylose. The longer the chains the greater the chance for binding, through which
water, which was bound before, is expelled. To lessen the chance of retrogradation,
the starch is changed in such a way, that it is like amylose, but with shorter chains.
This process is called the modification of starch and can be done by physical, chemical
and enzymic means.
Two methods for the modification of starch are as follows.

- Starch, treated with a little water, is allowed to stiffen and dry on hot rollers. By
doing this the starch becomes soluble and will swell in cold liquids (instant
pudding powder).
- Starch molecules are esterified, by which the network in the gel becomes firmer.
The result is that the gel can cope better with the sterilization process, can cope
with storage in the deep-freeze or copes better with the effect of acids in viscous
products (mayonnaise).

Kinds
Potato starch is obtained from potatoes, which are grown on peat and have low
protein content. Such potatoes are not used for consumption. The potato is grated
finely and rinsed several times. The starch settles and is separated from the water by
centrifuging. It is then dried and packaged in powdered form. Potato starch is blue-
white in colour; it glistens and creaks when rubbed in between the fingers. It is used
to thicken transparent liquids, for instance fruit juices or soups. It becomes
somewhat glue-like if it is used in large quantities.
Maizena or cornflour is obtained from corn. The extraction process follows the
same path as that of potato starch. Maizena is white in colour, does not glisten and
creaks less than potato flour. It binds semi-transparent liquids. It is used for the
thickening of milk dishes, soups and sauces. Custard powder is obtained when a
yellow dye and a synthetically prepared vanilla compound are added to cornflour.
Wheat starch is made from wheat flour. This is obtained by rinsing wheat flour
repeatedly with cold water, which separates the starch out. At the same time the
gluten protein is also freed. This is separated from the wheat starch and goes in dried
form to the bread factories. The wheat starch is dried and packaged as powder. The
white wheat starch has the same usage as potato starch. Wheat starch is for sale to the