Limagrain launches 'world's first' instant waxy wheat flour
instant waxy wheat flour at the HiE in Frankfurt this month.
WestHove, the functional flour business of Limagrain Cereales Ingredients, developed the westhove wheat WI product in order to tap growing consumer awareness of healthier foods.
The innovation comes three years after Limagrain Cereales Ingredients launched the first functional waxy wheat flour, winning the FiE silver medal for innovation.
"westhove wheat WI has been created in response to the consumer's twin needs for healthier foods, which also maintain the pleasure given by conventional ingredients," said LCI marketing director David Pearson.
"To give manufacturers more processing options it was important to create an instant version of our waxy wheat and this continues LCI's policy of targeting innovation at both the consumer and also the food manufacturer".
Like other products in the westhove range, westhove wheat WI is natural and additive free, declared simply as 'wheat flour'. The company claims that all westhove functional flours benefit from tolerance to industrial processing, batch-to-batch consistency and are all clean label.
But what makes westhove wheat WI unique, according to Limagrain, is that it is suitable for cold processing, is resistant to freezing and defrosting cycles and is stable when stored.
"Consumers accept the need to eat healthier foods, but will not compromise on pleasure," said Pearson.
"That is why our new waxy instant flour allows manufacturers to reduce cream or fat in recipes, but retain a rich creamy texture."
In addition to helping manufacturers therefore, Limagrain believes that the new product ties in with current consumer concerns. Light foods with less fat are thriving on supermarket shelves.
"Using westhove wheat WI means you can cut cream or butter by over half, with doses of less than 2 per cent of this new flour," said Pearson. "As a result, the ingredient cost is cut by up to 25 per cent, depending on recipe."
westhove wheat WI completes the current westhove range of performance wheat-based functional flours, which includes a non-instant waxy wheat. westhove wheat WI is made from a non-gm waxy wheat variety and is patented for both variety and process.
Limagrain Cereales Ingredients and WestHove are subsidiaries of Groupe Limagrain, a French farmer owned cooperative that specialises in cereal.
Groupe Limagrain is the largest seed company in Europe - it claims that one in four fields of wheat and maize grown in Europe use Limagrain varieties.
