Production of clean-label starch using physically treated starch blending and its application as a xanthan gum substitute.

Unlabelled: This study explores clean-label starch as a functional alternative to xanthan gum in food applications. The optimal blending ratio of ultrasound-treated rice and potato starch was found to be 25:75, resulting in a product with enhanced stability and viscosity similar to xanthan gum. A mathematical model was developed to adjust the viscosity of clean-label starch to match xanthan gum at various concentrations and shear rates, showing high predictive accuracy (R = 0.988). The clean-label starch was then tested in food applications, including as a thickener in tomato ketchup. In ketchup, samples with added clean-label starch exhibited similar serum separation and viscosity reduction as those with xanthan gum. Overall, clean-label starch shows strong potential as a functional, clean-label alternative to xanthan gum, offering both economic and nutritional benefits in food products.

Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-025-01825-y.