Formulation Insights
2026 · Austrade Inc.
2026 · Austrade Inc.
Texture has taken center stage in modern food & beverage formulation. Consumers are actively seeking multi-sensory eating experiences — the structured bite of a dense protein bar, the creamy consistency of plant-based yogurt, the crisp snap of a coated confection. These textural qualities create memorable interactions with food, and in many cases, they are precisely what drives a repeat purchase.
Replicating desirable textures without synthetic gums, fillers, and additives is the formulation challenge of our time. As clean label trends continue to reshape F&B product development, R&D teams face increasing pressure to deliver sensory performance with shorter, more recognizable ingredient decks. Fortunately, a growing portfolio of Organic and Non-GMO functional ingredients — plant proteins, native starches, and clean label sweeteners — can replicate texture systems that once depended on synthetic agents.
Austrade’s portfolio of Organic & Non-GMO ingredients is built for this dual mandate: functional performance and label transparency. Below is a formulator’s overview of the key ingredient categories powering the next generation of clean label texture systems.
74%
of global consumers prefer products
with recognizable ingredients
with recognizable ingredients
$19B+
projected global plant protein
market value by 2030
market value by 2030
#1
texture ranked as the top sensory
driver of repeat food purchase
driver of repeat food purchase
Why Clean Label Ingredients Make All the Difference in Texture Formulation
Texture is where emotion meets science. From pop and crisp to chew and melt, textural complexity shapes how consumers perceive quality and brand value. When these experiences consistently deliver, brand loyalty follows. Today’s market, however, demands more than sensory satisfaction alone — it requires full transparency at the ingredient level.
Regulatory changes, retailer mandates, and shifting consumer expectations have accelerated the move away from synthetic gums, emulsifiers, and modified starches. Replicating the textural complexity those agents provided — without reintroducing synthetic ingredients to the label — is now the central challenge for reformulation teams. Strategic combinations of plant proteins, native starches, and functional sweeteners are proving to be the answer.
These combinations represent more than simple substitutions. They signal a fundamentally different approach to formulation — one built on clean label synergy, purpose-driven ingredient selection, and long-term ingredient integrity.
Plant Proteins: Clean Label Texture Builders
Protein is more than a nutritional powerhouse — it is a dynamic texture builder that contributes mouthfeel, chew, and structural stability across a wide range of formulations. Plant proteins, in particular, deliver unique textural functionality that distinguishes them from one another and from animal-derived alternatives, giving formulators precise tools to meet specific sensory targets.
Austrade’s Organic & Non-GMO Plant Proteins are free from carriers and additives, making them strong candidates for clean label texture formulation across baked goods, beverages, meat alternatives, and beyond.
Organic, Non-GMO, Gluten-Free Oat Protein
Oat protein adds smooth viscosity, a clean mouthfeel, and a neutral flavor profile to formulations. Its gentle functional properties make it a versatile choice for gluten-free baked goods, dairy alternatives, and protein-fortified beverages where a clean, unobtrusive texture build is the goal.
Key Applications
→Gluten-free baked goods requiring smooth crumb structure and clean mouthfeel
→Dairy and plant-based beverage alternatives seeking viscosity without heavy protein notes
→Protein-fortified RTD beverages and nutrition shakes
Organic & Non-GMO Pea Protein
Yellow pea protein is one of the most versatile plant proteins available for clean label formulation. Its high protein content, neutral taste, and textural complexity make it a workhorse ingredient across gluten-free baked goods, beverages, meat alternatives, sauces, and extruded snacks. Its hypoallergenic profile further broadens applicability across consumer segments with dietary restrictions.
Key Applications
→Meat alternative and plant-based burger applications requiring chew and cohesion
→Extruded snacks and protein bars requiring structural integrity
→Gluten-free baked goods and allergen-free formulations
→Protein-fortified sauces and savory applications
Organic & Non-GMO Pumpkin Protein
Naturally rich in fiber and nutrients, pumpkin protein contributes a dense bite and a distinctive, earthy flavor depth to formulations. Available in Roasted and Unroasted variants, this protein adds character and nutritional density to bars, beverages, and baked goods where a more robust mouthfeel is an asset.
Key Applications
→Protein bars and snack products requiring dense bite and nutritional depth
→Flavored protein beverages and smoothie blends
→Baked goods where roasted or earthy flavor notes complement the product profile
Organic Heliaflor® Sunflower Proteins
The Heliaflor® family is a proprietary group of organic sunflower protein offerings delivering exceptional functional performance — from emulsification and water-binding to enhanced creaminess and crisp inclusion textures. All Heliaflor® products maintain a neutral odor and flavor, preserving the sensory profile of the finished formulation.
Heliaflor® Variants
→Emulsification and water-binding functionality extended into dough, baked goods, and meat alternative applications — Heliaflor® 55
→Crisp inclusions for snack bars, protein balls, and trail-mix blends with a clean label declaration — Heliaflor® Cereals
→A mono-ingredient meat alternative made from 100% organic sunflower seeds, delivering authentic meat-like texture and bite — Heliaflor® Haché
Organic & Non-GMO Wheat Germ Flakes
Nutrient-dense particles that add a desirable crunch to food formulations. Ideal for cereals, granola clusters, and snack applications where textural contrast and nutritional density are both priorities.
Organic & Non-GMO White Rice Protein
Improves structure in plant-based formulations and gluten-free baked goods. Hypoallergenic and highly digestible, this protein is suitable for consumers with food allergies or complex dietary restrictions.
Native Starches: Clean Label Thickeners That Perform
Starches form the functional backbone of many texture systems in food and beverage manufacturing. Native starches are minimally processed and offer higher purity compared to chemically modified alternatives, delivering reliable thickening, binding, and stabilizing performance without compromising clean label integrity.
Austrade offers a selection of Organic & Non-GMO Native Starches that are natural, functional, and free from chemical modification — meeting the ingredient standards required by today’s leading clean label retailers and certification bodies.
Organic Native Potato Starch
An ideal plant-based alternative to gelatin and modified starches. Excellent for thickening and binding, with high clarity and a neutral flavor. Acts as a crisping agent in extruded products and is highly versatile from soups to snack coatings.
Non-GMO Native Corn Starch
A staple clean label thickener known for building viscosity and strong resistance to heat. Ideal for sauces, puddings, custards, and dairy alternatives where consistent gel strength is essential through thermal processing.
Organic & Non-GMO Native Rice Starch
A pure, odorless powder with very fine granularity and low viscosity. Serves as an excellent stabilizer, excipient, and fat replacer in fat-free formulations. Used across confectionery coatings, ready-to-eat meals, and dairy applications.
Organic & Non-GMO Wheat Starch
An unmodified plant-based starch providing light crispness to snacks and baked goods, and a desirable bite to noodles and confectionery applications. Organic Gluten-Free Wheat Starch is also available by request.
Clean Label Sweeteners: Texture Beyond Sweetness
Sweeteners are known for the obvious role they play in formulations: sweetness delivery. Functional sweeteners, however, take on equally important structural and textural roles. Moisture retention, crystallization control, freezing point modulation, and Maillard browning are all outcomes that depend heavily on the choice of sweetening system — not just on sweetness intensity.
Austrade’s Organic & Non-GMO Sweeteners are designed to deliver on both dimensions — sweetness performance and clean label compatibility — across a wide range of food and beverage systems.
Organic & Non-GMO Dextrose Monohydrate: Functional Sweetness with Moisture Control
A fast-dissolving crystalline powder derived from 100% corn, Dextrose Monohydrate delivers approximately 70–75% the sweetness of sucrose while contributing meaningful functional performance in texture-sensitive applications. Its humectant properties support moisture retention, and its crystallization behavior provides texture control in baked goods, confectionery, and beverages.
As a fermentation substrate, dextrose supports culture performance in fermented food and beverage systems. It also contributes to browning via the Maillard reaction — a key functional role in baked goods where controlled color development and shelf-stable moisture balance are both formulation requirements.
Key Applications
→Baked goods requiring controlled browning, moisture retention, and extended shelf stability
→Confectionery and coating systems that require fine, consistent crystalline texture
→Sports and energy beverages requiring fast-absorbing carbohydrate delivery
→Fermented food systems where rapid glucose delivery is essential to culture performance
Non-GMO Crystalline Fructose: Low-GI Sweetness with Functional Versatility
Crystalline Fructose is a nutritive, clean label sweetener derived from 100% beet sugar with a GI score of approximately 20 — significantly lower than sucrose or glucose. Sweeter than sucrose by intensity, it allows formulators to use less while maintaining consumer-expected sweetness profiles, directly reducing the total sugar load in the Nutrition Facts declaration.
Crystalline fructose modulates freezing points in frozen desserts, improving mouthfeel and scoopability at low temperatures. Its high solubility and enhanced sweetness performance at cold temperatures also make it effective in refrigerated and iced beverage applications where traditional crystalline sweeteners can underperform.
Key Applications
→Frozen desserts and dairy alternatives requiring improved mouthfeel and freeze-point control
→Fruit-based beverages, smoothies, and RTD products where fructose amplifies fruit-forward flavor notes
→Better-for-you snacks and nutrition bars targeting blood sugar management
→Reduced-sugar formulations seeking natural sweetness intensity at lower inclusion levels
The Winning Formula: Texture, Functionality, and Clean Label Synergy
The most effective clean label texture systems are rarely built from a single ingredient. Strategic combinations of plant proteins, native starches, and functional sweeteners create multi-dimensional texture performance that was once the exclusive domain of synthetic agents. Formulators who understand how these ingredients interact — and how their functional properties complement one another — can build products that deliver on sensory expectations without compromising label integrity.
Next-generation formulations optimize texture and functionality with clean label synergy — and brand loyalty follows. Austrade Inc. supplies Certified Organic and Non-GMO solutions built to meet this standard across applications, backed by decades of supply chain expertise and a deep commitment to ingredient transparency.
Formulation principle: When pairing plant proteins with native starches, evaluate each ingredient’s water activity contribution before finalizing inclusion ratios. Proteins that bind water aggressively can affect the gelling behavior of co-formulated starches — particularly under thermal stress. Water activity testing at multiple processing stages is strongly recommended.
Key formulation parameters to evaluate when building a clean label texture system:
✓Target texture profile — mouthfeel, chew, viscosity, or crispness — and which ingredient class is best positioned to deliver each
✓Water activity and moisture binding requirements across processing and storage conditions
✓Thermal stability: how selected proteins and starches behave through baking, pasteurization, or retort
✓Allergen profile and hypoallergenic requirements for your target consumer segment
✓Certification and regulatory requirements: Certified Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, Gluten-Free
✓Label positioning strategy — how ingredient declaration supports the product’s broader clean label or better-for-you claim
Let’s Build Better Texture, Together
Whether your brand is launching a new innovation or improving an existing formulation, Austrade’s team is ready to support your goals. Our Organic & Non-GMO plant-based portfolio delivers on texture, taste, and full transparency. Explore Austrade’s full ingredient portfolio or connect with our team to discuss your next formulation challenge.
Market data referenced from Innova Market Insights, Grand View Research, and Mintel, 2024.