Abstract:
A starch, hydrated with between 0. 7 and 2. 0 parts of water and which has been brought to the verge of gelatinization, is combined with a hydrocolloid gum, which also may have been pre-hydrated, to form a mixture. The mixing process is designed to achieve the following objectives: intimately mixing the hydrocolloid gum with the starch as the latter is gelatinizing; heating the uniform blend under pressure but under low enough shear to preclude starch degradation; and extruding it through a die so that it expands and creates a product with a large surface area to facilitate drying. As an objective measure of processing effectiveness, the product should yield water viscosities which are equal to those obtained from the raw materials when present in 10-20% excess. In subjective test the processed mixture should perform better at 10-20% less usage level than the unprocessed mixtures when used in stabilizing frozen desserts, sour cream and dressings. In particular, a starch guar mixture processed in this manner can replace the more expensive gums, such as locust, in frozen desserts.