Avebe Launches PuraMYL 440 Instant Clean-Label Potato Starch for Cold Processing, Replacing Modified Starch in Plant-Based Meat and Sauces

Dutch starch cooperative Royal Avebe has launched PuraMYL 440, an instant clean-label potato starch that builds texture during cold preparation. Announced on 12 November 2026, the ingredient is aimed at manufacturers of plant-based meat, cold sauces and dressings that want to replace chemically modified starch without adding a heating step to their process.

No pre-cooking, no separate hydration

PuraMYL 440 starts binding water and building texture as soon as it is mixed into a formulation, Avebe says. Because there is no pre-cooking or separate hydration stage, manufacturers can simplify production lines and potentially reduce energy use while keeping the intended texture of the finished product.

That is the main difference from Avebe’s existing PuraMYL grades, which were designed for cook-up applications. Bringing clean-label functionality to no-cook formats extends the range into products where manufacturers have relied on chemically modified starch.

Thermal inhibition instead of chemical modification

The starch is physically modified through thermal inhibition rather than chemical treatment. As a result it can be declared on pack simply as “potato starch” rather than as a modified starch or E-number. Avebe says it does not require allergen labelling under EU legislation and offers functionality comparable to many chemically modified potato starches.

“Simplifying an ingredient list should never mean compromising performance,” said Bea Klaassens, technical application specialist at Avebe. “Whether it’s preventing stickiness during forming in plant-based meat or maintaining sauce texture without cooking, developers need ingredients that deliver reliable results without adding complexity to production.”

Trial results in plant-based meatballs and high-oil sauces

Avebe has published two application results from its Innovation Centre in Groningen:

• Plant-based meatballs: the starch produced a firm, non-sticky mixture directly after mixing, making forming easier, reducing build-up on equipment and giving a cohesive bite after cooking. Avebe says the application has been approved and implemented in a customer’s production.
• Cold emulsified sauces: in sauces containing 50% oil, PuraMYL 440 built viscosity during mixing and delivered a smooth appearance and short texture without a cooking step.

Other target uses include dressings, emulsified systems, formed products, coatings and batters.

Why this matters on the production line

For plant-based meat processors, stickiness during forming is a throughput issue as much as a texture issue: material building up on formers and conveyors means more downtime for cleaning and more variation between pieces. A binder that firms the mass at mixing stage could help, as manufacturers also look for alternatives to methylcellulose and other binders. Other ingredient suppliers are tackling the same problem from the protein side; Meala, for example, recently showed a texturised pea protein replacing methylcellulose in blended burgers.

The clean-label push is not limited to meat alternatives. Plant-based brands are increasingly marketing shorter ingredient lists, and the same starch targets cold-prepared sauces, dressings, coatings and batters, where removing a cooking step could also cut energy use.

Expanding the PuraMYL range

PuraMYL 440 extends Avebe’s clean-label starch range beyond cook-up uses in soups, sauces, meat and cheese into instant, cold preparation. A further grade based on waxy potato starch, PuraMYL 700, is in development.

Avebe, headquartered in Veendam, is owned by around 2,000 starch potato growers in the Netherlands and Germany and processes their crops into starch, protein and fibre ingredients, vegconomist notes. The cooperative has also been building a potato protein business for alternative proteins, including its PerfectaSOL range for dairy alternatives and coatings. Avebe is exhibiting at Fi Europe in Frankfurt on 17–19 November.