Learn how clean-label potato starch helps dairy producers increase creaminess, cut costs, and stay sustainable.

Today, consumers want it all when enjoying dairy products like yogurts: a smooth, thick texture, a healthy, sustainable label, and a fair price. However, this means dairy manufacturers are under high pressure to cut costs, reduce waste, and keep labels short and sweet.

But potato starch could be the surprising answer to these challenges. Meleknur Tüzün, Global Segment Manager Dairy at Avebe, shares her evidence-based insights on how to create dairy products using potato starch that are creamy, clean-label, and cost-effective.

“To meet market needs, we’ve built a texture toolbox based on research that helps us understand and unlock functionality such as creaminess and mouthfeel across a wide variety of dairy applications. Our solution: ETENIA®, a clean-label, multifunctional, 100% potato starch that behaves like a hydrocolloid with thermo-reversible gelling. This means that the gel melts when heated and sets again when cooled, without losing its texture. It has a neutral taste and appears on a product label simply as potato starch.” Meleknur says.

ETENIA® works well in dairy products like:

• Stirred, set, or drinking yogurt
• Puddings, desserts
• Fresh cheese spreads

“Getting mouthfeel right in formulation is one of the biggest challenges in dairy. Through our work in texture science and a broad portfolio of solutions, we’ve identified approaches that consistently deliver consumer-preferred mouthfeel experiences. In our lab tests, we discovered a Greek-style yogurt with 0% fat and 1.5% ETENIA® nearly doubled creaminess versus a commercial yogurt with 0% fat. And in another trial, a 4%-fat Greek-style yogurt with 1.5% ETENIA® beat commercial 5% and 10%-fat yogurts on creaminess. The application of ETENIA® boosts creaminess at low use levels”, Meleknur shares.

“Consumers want a dairy texture with a full creamy mouthfeel sensation. They’re not really open to changes in texture. Smoothness and creaminess are key drivers of product enjoyment.” Meleknur continues.

Using potato starch, brands can lower fat content without compromising on decadence, while maintaining the texture customers love and meeting health goals.

Common dairy industry ingredients like butter, cream, and milk regularly fluctuate in price, making cost a main driving factor in the industry.

Therefore, most producers look for ingredients with more stable pricing.

Meleknur explains, “According to our lab tests in dairy applications:

• 1% ETENIA® can replace 3% milk fat
• 1% ETENIA® can replace 1% milk protein
• 1% ETENIA® can replace 0.5% gelatin”

Replacing hydrocolloids and modified starches, 100% natural potato starch is certainly a sustainable ingredient to use.

”We asked an independent third-party consultant to test the sustainability profile of our products. The results showed that compared to formulas with the same textures, ETENIA® better reduces total carbon footprint versus gelatin in yogurt applications and milk protein in cream-cheese-type applications.” Meleknur shares.

Potato starch is a strong water binder and gelling starch that helps reduce syneresis. That means products appear fresh (and not liquid or watery) when customers lift the lid and stay stable until the very last spoonful.

“Plus, ETENIA® helps yogurts appear bright and white, so the eating experience is pleasant, smooth, and “full-fat” in sensation. That’s because potato starch mimics the behavior of milk fat in the mouth, without adding off notes. This matters for repeat customers, where even tiny textural differences can affect loyalty. A rich, creamy mouthfeel boosts overall liking scores for the end product.” Meleknur explains.

Operationally, lower syneresis and a more predictable production process help reduce waste and product rework, which in turn improves the overall sustainability of using potato starch.

ETENIA®’s texture forms after cooling, which is generally within 12 to 24 hours. This prevents mixtures from thickening or clogging during processing and gives manufacturers more freedom with their approach.

“Manufacturers need to forget what they know about typical starches, because ETENIA® is different. It doesn’t adapt its texture on the line. Instead, it sets cleanly after cooling, which means it fits perfectly into high-temperature dairy processes without creating line issues.

Likewise, with ETENIA®, manufacturers can achieve their desired product texture by adjusting the use level and the process. To make this practical, we use a suite of solutions built on our benchmark toolbox. These address three recurring challenges in dairy: achieving creaminess, creating the right mouthfeel, and finding the perfect texture. With these tools, producers can fine-tune dosage, optimize preparation, and ensure consistency across processes and applications” says Meleknur.

For example, here are some texture options:

• Firm yogurt profile
• Creamy Greek-style yogurt
• Spreadable cream cheese

Potato starch gives dairy producers and manufacturers a practical, proven way to maintain an indulgent texture and mouthfeel, along with clean-label, cost control, and sustainability benefits. It raises creaminess at low use levels, replaces more expensive dairy solids, and simplifies processes, all while keeping taste pure and delicious and labels short.

“Potato starch can replace hydrocolloids or modified starches at the same function or even improved functionality. It can replace milk protein or milk fat. It can work in very harsh dairy conditions, in every process setting and can create different textures free-from allergen labeling. If you’re looking for the best protein or fat replacement, or to enhance creaminess in dairy applications, this multifunctional potato starch is one of the purest ingredients you can use.” Meleknur concludes.

For dairy products, where texture is everything, ETENIA® transforms common constraints into a competitive advantage.

To learn more about making the switch to ETENIA® clean-label potato starch, visit avebe.com.

Struggling to achieve the perfect indulgent taste and texture in your confectionery? As the demand for more natural, delicious treats rises, balancing taste, texture, and affordability can be tricky.

In the world of sugar confectionery, indulgence is king — people want to feel instant and intense satisfaction from the products they choose.

To deliver on such pleasurable promises though, a product’s taste and texture needs to be just right. Beyond this, producers need to find a way to keep products affordable, while also accommodating the latest consumer trends. Such as the growing demand for more animal-free, natural confectionery ingredients.

Ticking all of these boxes can feel like a never-ending challenge for confectionery producers. Because unfortunately, every ingredient has it’s pros and cons in terms of texture or processing. Particularly, achieving impressive textures and flavours with alternative ingredients, and delivering such products at scale is not easy.

If producers are serious about appealing to the sweet tooths of tomorrow, they will need to find natural confectionery ingredients that push customer’s indulgence buttons in all the right ways.

Here, Stefan Wessel, Customer Application Specialist at Avebe, explores this issue in more detail and shares his insights on how to create confectionery that delivers 100% indulgence in a more natural, affordable way

One of the biggest challenges is the volatile cost of traditional gelling agents like gelatin and gum arabic. For many years, these ingredients have been used to create the chewiness, elasticity, and stability that consumers crave in confectionery products. But for various reasons — fluctuating supply chains and increased demand from other industries to name a couple — prices are unstable. Producers are finding it harder to maintain cost efficiency.

And although consumers are increasingly demanding more plant-based confectionery ingredients, substituting such ingredients for the costly traditional gelling agents isn’t always very simple. Achieving the right balance of firmness and chewiness in plant-based gummies, jellies and pastilles can be challenging. Gelatin tends to provide that unique ‘elastic texture, which can be very difficult to replicate with plant-based ingredients. That’s also why there is a large category of hybrids. Gum Arabic plays a crucial role in stabilizing certain confectionery coatings and fillings. Finding an alternative that performs just as well without introducing unwanted processing challenges is not always straightforward.

As an added challenge, sometimes when a viable solution does present itself, misconceptions about its attributes can prevent producers from embracing it. For example, although starch-based alternatives require certain processing adaptations, new developments and innovations in both ingredients and textures are ensuring that such adaptations are an ever more attractive option.

One such cutting-edge starch-based innovation is PerfectaGEL®. And as the industry navigates numerous challenges moving forward, PerfectaGEL® provides some real game-changing advantages.

PerfectaGEL® is a key brand for confectionery potato starches we’ve developed at Royal Avebe.

When it comes to creating cost-effective (vegan) sugar confectionery without compromising on taste and texture, PerfectaGEL® starches are the ultimate solution. By offering the following advantages, these solutions enable maximum indulgence, multiple textures with minimum cost and processing advantages.

PerfectaGEL® starches offer great taste and texture as a cheaper alternative to gelatin and pectin. In addition, some PerfectaGEL® starches have fast-setting properties and low viscosity, allowing producers to reduce energy costs or increase factory output by up to 50%. Safe to say that a boost in efficiency like this will inevitably facilitate much more competitive product pricing.

Crucially, this cost-effectiveness does not come at the expense of quality. PerfectaGEL® also consistently achieves the firmness, chewiness, and elasticity consumers expect in premium confectionery. So the end-user gets all the indulgence they crave in an affordable, sustainable, natural, (more) plant-based way.

PerfectaGEL® starches make all of this possible without any added hassle for the producer. With easy-to-use drop-in solutions, it integrates seamlessly into existing production processes, requiring no new equipment for producers that are already used to making starch-based gummies. Although for some gelatin producers, new equipment might be necessary.

All-in-all, if used correctly, PerfectaGEL® can help producers stay competitive in an ever-evolving industry.

As well as the common confectionery challenges I’ve already discussed, PerfectaGEL® also helps producers align their products with other important trends that are re-shaping the industry.

There is a growing demand for sustainable and ethically sourced ingredients. Both individual consumers and businesses are starting to scrutinise supply chains more closely, and are favouring confectionery ingredients that have a lower environmental impact. Neither gelatin, which relies on animal-derived raw materials, nor gum arabic, which is linked to concerns around deforestation and unstable supply chains, really align with this growing demand. PerfectaGEL® however, as a plant-based, starch-derived solution, offers a more sustainable and ethical supply chain. This is because potatoes are a widely available, renewable crop, with a relatively low environmental impact.

In a nutshell, consumers increasingly want natural, sustainable, (vegan) confectionery treats that still taste incredible, and don’t break the bank. If producers can deliver all those things in one package, they will more than compete; they will stand out.

But don’t take my word for it. Have a look at the case study below, and you’ll see how effective PerfectaGEL® can be:

Just a few months ago, a renowned confectionery producer was having to cope with long drying times for their starch-based gummies, limiting their production capacity. Their energy costs were too high, and factory output was down due to the increased drying time compared to the gelatin gummies they used to make. As a result, the company was looking for a way to reduce drying time without making investments in the production process. They also wanted to achieve a firmer texture in their gummies, without having to change the recipe.

By adding PerfectaGEL® FS on top of their current recipe, the company was able to reduce drying time by 25%. This allowed them to simultaneously increase factory output, and lower energy costs per gummy. While also producing firmer, more sustainable gummies.

In an evolving confectionery market where cost-efficiency, sustainability, and product quality are more important than ever, PerfectaGEL® offers a natural solution that can meet these demands without compromise.

Consumers want — and deserve — a way to indulge in delicious tastes and textures that give them a real sense of satisfaction. With PerfectaGEL®, you can provide that for them.

Whether you’re looking to enhance texture, streamline production, or future-proof your formulations, PerfectaGEL® can help you stay ahead of the curve.

If you’d like to discover how PerfectaGEL® can transform your own confectionery production, please feel free to contact me today for a consultation or sample.

In het boekjaar 2024/2025 investeerde Avebe in totaal 60 miljoen euro. De nadruk van deze investeringen lag op het efficiënter en duurzamer inrichten van de productieprocessen, preventief onderhoud en digitalisering. Fousert: “Een mooi voorbeeld is de installatie van nieuwe decanters in Gasselternijveen, waarmee we een flinke waterbesparing realiseren.” Duurzaamheid blijft onderdeel van het fundament van de strategie van Avebe. Voor 2030 zijn ambitieuze doelen gesteld: een CO2-reductie van 30% (scope 1 en 3), 1,5% energie-efficiëntieverbetering per jaar en een forse verlaging van wateronttrekking. Avebe rapporteert over haar duurzaamheidsdoelen in lijn met de aankomende Europese CSRD-vereisten.

Fousert stond nadrukkelijk stil bij de huidige marktsituatie: door een groter areaal, een vroege oogst en hoge opbrengsten is het aanbod aan zetmeelaardappelen in Europa dit seizoen fors toegenomen. Fousert: “Tegelijkertijd blijven de kostprijs en risico’s voor de aardappelteelt stijgen, en zien we wereldwijd toenemende onzekerheid en geopolitieke spanningen. Om de teelt aantrekkelijk te houden voor onze leden, zal het saldo moeten meegroeien met deze ontwikkelingen.” Volgens de CEO blijft wendbaarheid en ondernemerschap essentieel om in te spelen op veranderende marktomstandigheden en duurzame groei te realiseren.