Interview: Cargill Launches Gelled Dairy Desserts Solution as Carrageenan Push Begins

31 May 2017 --- Cargill has expanded its premium texturizing portfolio with an innovative and sustainably sourced carrageenan extract that offers unique functionality for gelled dairy desserts. Dairy manufacturers will now be able to achieve premium texture with Cargill’s new texturizer Satiagel ADG 0220 Seabrid.

The latest addition to Cargill’s Satiagel range, Satiagel ADG 0220 Seabrid – is based on Seabrid, a new and innovative type of carrageenan extract. Derived from 100 percent cultivated seaweed via a new technology, Seabrid carrageenan offers a cost-efficient texturizing solution with a hybrid-like functionality. This allows Satiagel ADG 0220 Seabrid to deliver outstanding firmness, creaminess and body to any gelled dairy dessert formulation, such as flan, custard and crème caramel. 

Satiagel ADG 0220 Seabrid carrageenan provides an innovative solution with a reliable supply of sustainably sourced ingredients, in line with Cargill’s sustainability approach. Through unique technological capabilities, Cargill is able to use 100 percent cultivated seaweed, as opposed to wild seaweed, enabling premium texture at an attractive price.

“Cargill’s team of experts are continuously developing innovative ideas to stimulate the market for carrageenans. Being an industry leader in dairy applications, we work closely alongside our customers throughout the complete product development process,” says Xavier Martin, global seaweed product manager for Cargill Starches, Sweeteners & Texturizers. “With consumers demanding premium quality at affordable prices in dairy desserts, we saw an opportunity for Cargill to revitalize this important market segment.” 

Speaking exclusively to FoodIngredientsFirst, Martin notes: “Seabrid is a brand that is here to last and any further carrageenan ingredients will likely use the same concepts. Today we have introduced the new Satiagel ADG 0220 for gelled dessert applications and the intention is to develop new products in the coming months that could be still used in dairy applications.” He also states: “From the chemical nature of this product, it contains zero calories, when used it as an ingredient.”

Martin also notes: “This ingredient platform is an area where Cargill will continue to invest and we believe there is strong potential for growth. This is why we continue to invest in research, not only for carrageenan but also for application support which is part of the development for dairy applications.” 

While Martin admitted that carrageenan as an ingredient has received some negative reports recently, he believes that: “now is a good time to provide information our customers and consumers based on scientific facts.”

“Carrageenan is safe and functional in various applications and at Cargill, we are helping to develop an optimal ingredient with a minimal cost. That is one of our key points for this new launch and why we think it’s important to balance this sort of information with facts based on science,” he explains. 

“It is important to communicate that there is still a big difference in the types of seaweed we are using to make carrageenan and farming the seaweed in a controlled way is something that will continue to bring advantages to this area,” Martin notes. “By using farmed seaweed we are making sure that we have only minimal impact on the environment and continue to be sustainable to ensure there is no over harvesting of seaweed.”

“By farming this type of seaweed, it is much easier to control and produce just what we need. As a result this is something that should bring in higher food security for customers in terms of supply and product stability,” he continues, “And this is why we believe this is going to be the future of this industry.”
 
“We are trying to reduce the use of wild seaweed and for the first time we have a product where we have used zero wild seaweed, but the end product still has the same functionality,” Martin claims. “One function for this seaweed was to bring firmness and creaminess without elasticity to the texture, which was initially challenging. However, with farmed seaweed we have this creamy functionality texture. This can help our customers come up with a premium quality texture and differentiate themselves from a basic carrageenan solution.”

“Texture is receiving more attention lately, since it is such a strong deciding factor in consumer taste preferences,” says Anne-Laure Rouger, dairy application specialist for Cargill Starches, Sweeteners & Texturizers. 

“Industry forecasts indicate the demand for chilled and shelf-stable desserts will continue to grow in Europe, with the Middle East and Africa being the fastest growing region. In line with current trends, we see consumers seeking firmer, more palatable products with a creamy texture. It is however challenging to deliver such a unique texture combination, while providing great body and mouthfeel. Employing a new technology, we can replicate the functionality of wild seaweed using cultivated seaweed, offering food developers a reliable solution to achieve an appealing creamy texture.” 

Rouger also adds: “We feel really confident that this new carrageenan ingredient has a thick body texture, which can be quite complicated with some seaweed, but with this new product it has been a success.” 

Satiagel ADG 0220 Seabrid carrageenan is the first Seabrid-based product available on the market. While, in this context, Seabrid helps customers develop delightful creamy textures for their gelled dairy desserts formulations, such as flan, custard and crème caramel; its unique functionality is also claimed to present diverse opportunities across a range of applications. 

Satiagel ADG 0220 Seabrid carrageenan is the latest addition to the recently streamlined Satiagel ADG range. The range supports a wide array of textures, from exceptionally soft to firm and from extra creamy to brittle, in line with Cargill’s portfolio of texturizing solutions, which offers a complete texture choice for customers.

How does Satiagel ADG 0220 Seabrid have to be labeled? “This product is a carrageenan product so it’s fully compliant with the legislation of carrageenan,” Martin replies, “There are two options in Europe. It can be declared as E407 or it can be declared as carrageenan.”

Martin notes: “This is a really important time for the Cargill’s texture solutions portfolio. We have starch and pectin. Now the area of carrageenan is one where Cargill will continue to invest and grow; so this is definitely something that is important to the group as a whole.”

With the global population rising to 9 billion people in the future, Cargill are looking to source products away from the land, Martin adds: “Having the option of farming products from the sea, means that we are technically making this production more sustainable and, of course, because it’s from the sea it is grown with existing nutrients and we are not adding any pesticides.”

by Elizabeth Green