What it does
It gelatinises at a relatively low temperature and gives a clear, cohesive, slightly stringy paste. The texture is longer and more elastic than a cereal starch gives, which is part of its character rather than a defect.
Where it works
Where flavour must not be contributed and clarity is wanted: fruit fillings, glazes, clear sauces. Widely used in gluten free bakery for the extensibility it brings. Also in cheese analogues, where its cohesive stretch does part of the work casein would.
Where it does not
The cohesive texture reads as gummy where a short, clean bite is wanted. Like other native starches it is fragile to shear and acid unless modified.
What it interacts with
Other starches, commonly combined to balance its long texture against a shorter one. Protein in analogue systems.
