Cargill Moves Carrageenan Sourcing to Indian Ocean to Guarantee Supply and Price Stability

13 May 2015 --- Beverage manufacturers looking to reach excellent mouthfeel and stability for their protein drinks can now rely on a new blend of carrageenans obtained from sustainably sourced seaweed.

The new Satiagel ABN 500 range from Cargill Texturizing Solutions contains sustainable carrageenan blends that provide premium performance at a competitive price, offering excellent sensorial properties, consistent quality and security of supply.

Xavier Martin, global product manager seaweeds, told FoodIngredientsFirst: “This new range of seaweed carrageenans not only provide a more creamy mouthfeel, they are farmed in a network of organised farms, mainly in the Indian Ocean, which is a warm water environment, less susceptible to environmental and climatic changes that can disrupt supply and pricing.

“Where there is a natural disaster such as a typhoon, farming is extremely fast to recover. We believe that while the process is not entirely perfect, the security of supply is as good as it can be and this ensures our longterm ability to maintain the volume as well as the quality of product,” Martin noted.

Carrageenans are an essential ingredient required to stabilize all kinds of dairy and non-dairy neutral-flavored drinks, thus avoiding sedimentation of insoluble particles and product separation.

“The consumption of protein drinks is at an all-time high in Europe. The neutral-flavored protein drinks market is growing exponentially, and chocolate milk is especially popular. According to the latest research (Innova, March 2015), 14% of all new product launches in the dairy drinks category are dedicated to chocolate-flavored formulations,” says Martin. “This growing demand has a direct impact on the availability of raw materials. The market for wild red seaweeds, from which carrageenans are traditionally derived, has become volatile and unpredictable.

“We have worked particularly hard on this range to ensure that the dosage spread is broad, so that the final product can absorb some variation in composition, which has not been possible before,” explained Martin.

The Satiagel ABN 500 range is mainly sourced from farmed seaweed. By diversifying sourcing and maintaining close collaboration with suppliers, Cargill is able to reduce sourcing risks and offer a more sustainable carrageenan supply. Xavier Martin: “Apart from financing research on seaweed and farming, the direct long-term relationships with farmers enable us to support the improvement of production tools, working and living conditions, education and healthcare. Transferring knowledge to the farmers is key to enriching their communities and essential to the availability of high-quality seaweed.”

But there are other challenges manufacturers find themselves grappling with. “Consumers are looking for great taste and a full-bodied drink on top of the nutritional benefits of dairy products,” explains Anne-Laure Rouger, dairy technical service project leader at Cargill Texturizing Solutions. “Mouthfeel is especially important and a key element in influencing consumer preference. However, it is difficult to find the sweet spot between technical performance, taste and appearance. The vast majority of stabilizers available on the market have to compromise on one or more of those aspects. This is why we developed the Satiagel™ ABN range: easy-to-use, versatile ingredients that work well in most formulations and offer ideal mouthfeel properties even at low concentrations, while ensuring consistent stabilization levels.”

Carrageenans are part of Cargill Texturizing Solutions’ unique portfolio of texturizers and emulsifiers, which includes a vast range of hydrocolloids, lecithins and starches. This large portfolio, coupled with global research and development, and supply chain capabilities, allows Cargill to help customers manage both the product development and supply chain challenges associated with formulating or reformulating products.

By Kelly Worgan