National Starch and Corn Products International become Ingredion

Two of the nation’s leading ingredient producers have changed their names and merged, but vow that the name will be the only thing that will change. Corn Products International and National Starch will, as of June 4th 2012, be known as Ingredion – a change that Ingredion Chairman, Ilene Gordon, says, “better reflects the ingredients we supply and the markets we serve”.

Based out of Westchester, IL Corn Products International, once known as a corn refining company, acquired National Starch in 2010. This acquisition, along with others, has broadened the company’s scope to include other ingredients and other processes which is part of the reason for switching names. The company has vowed with this transition to continue to provide the same quality service and same quality food ingredients that they always have.

Here at Bremer Authentic Ingredients, we will continue to supply the high-quality products from Corn Products International and National Starch, now Ingredion. We are excited for their transition and congratulate them in their great success over the years. We also want to let all of our buyers know that during this transition there will be no affect to you, everything will remain available!

For more information about this transition please contact us or check out their new website, ingredion.com.

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High Gluten Flours and Gluten Free Alternatives

Gluten Free foods are a growing sector for food manufacturers and bakeries. While on the outside this movement might look like a trend, the number of people who could benefit from a gluten free diet is large, including those suffering from celiac disease to folks with eczema (a very common skin condition).

Gluten is a protein found in wheat. It helps make dough rise, keep shape and gives your dough elasticity. However, According to the National Library of Medicine, Celiac Disease is a condition that damages the lining of the small intestine by not being able to process gluten and prevents your small intestine from absorbing parts of food that are important for staying healthy. The damage is due to a reaction to eating gluten, which is found primarily in wheat. With roughly 1 out of every 100 people in the US having this disease and that number growing constantly, how can you not help serve this growing community?

Now that we understand what gluten is and the risks of exposure to gluten for those with this disease, we must figure out a way to bake and manufacture goods that do not include gluten. There are a few different types of gluten free wheat, here at Bremer we have yellow cornmeal and buckwheat flour.

Yellow cornmeal is made from ground corn and is generally heavier than cornflour. Though it is not interchangeable in cornflour recipes, there are many great pastries and pie crusts that can be made with cornmeal. The buckwheat flour is actually not a flour as the name says, but is actually related to rhubarb with the small seeds of the plant used to make the flour. Buckwheat flour has a great nutty flavor and is often used in muffins.

There are a lot of different gluten free recipes and ways to replace certain flours with gluten free flours. Let us know if you have any questions and please share any recipes you have!

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