Effect of thermally inhibited starches on the freezing and thermal stability of white sauces: Rheological and sensory properties

• Thermally inhibited starches were used in white sauces as a clean label option.
• Viscoelastic properties of sauces prepared with the modified starches were similar.
• Thermally inhibited starch sauces showed good freeze/thaw stability.
• Similar creaminess and consistency was found in all the modified starches.

The suitability of two physically modified (thermally inhibited) starches as a “clean label” alternative was investigated in the preparation of white sauces. The rheological and sensory properties of white sauces prepared with the two physically modified starches, a chemically modified starch and a native starch were evaluated before and after a freeze/thaw cycle. The thermally inhibited starches have similar pasting properties to the chemically modified starch, characterized by the absence of a breakdown in viscosity. The mechanical spectra showed that the structure of sauces prepared with the two types of thermally inhibited starches and with the chemically modified starch were practically unchanged after thawing, denoting a good freeze/thaw stability. However, in sauces prepared with the native starch, a decrease in tanδ was observed (from 0.49 to 0.20). All of the sauces exhibited shear thinning behaviour and thixotropy. Ranking tests were used to evaluate the sensory differences among sauces prepared with the different starches and paired comparisons were used to study differences between fresh and frozen/thawed sauces. In general, the thermally inhibited starches provided sauces of a similar sensory quality to the chemically modified starch.