Hydrosol exec discusses sugar and fat reduction with hydrocolloid stabilizing solutions in milky drinks

17 Feb 2021 --- Hydrosol’s latest rollout of stabilizing solutions, under the Stabiprime MFD banner, keeps beverage particles suspended in a milk-mixed formula for ideal homogeneity and sedimentation prevention. 

The ingredients also compensate for sugar and fat reduction with their organoleptic properties, which guide taste perceptions. They comprise carefully selected hydrocolloids and are soluble in water as well as in sweet whey.

Within the line, Hydrosol’s carrageenan-based Stabiprime MFDC solution helps manufacturers make stable products without high-pressure homogenization. Stabiprime MFDG, a version that incorporates gellan – tipped by Innova Market Insights among the fastest growing hydrocolloids – enables milk beverage filling at high temperatures up to 40°C. 

“Each hydrocolloid brings its own specific properties and therefore advantages. Selective combinations of these raw materials allow them to be used as efficiently as possible,” Katharina Schäfer, product manager of Hydrosol, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

According to Innova Market Insights data, indexed F&B launches tracked with hydrocolloids saw a 7 percent average annual growth between 2015 and 2019. 

Compensating for sugar and fat eliminations
The reduction of sugar in foods is a subject of intense discussion around the world. There are restrictions in countries the world over, from sugar taxes to the red-yellow-green nutrition “stoplights” on foods in Germany. 

The solutions are also applicable in what Hydrosol details as “the most difficult cases,” such as classic cocoa beverage formulations.But from a technological point of view, sugar and fat have many positive properties, as Schäfer details: “Sugar and fat give products flavor, body, texture and a pleasant mouth feel. Sugar also binds water and is readily soluble, while fat influences melting and is important for the body’s intake of fat-soluble vitamins.”

“Replacing sugar with artificial or alternative sweeteners is generally not a viable option from a technical and flavor standpoint.”

Hydrosol’s Stabiprime MFD product range compensates for sugar reduction in terms of product properties such as mouthfeel or viscosity, which ultimately also affects the perception of sweetness.

“Within our numerous application formulations based on these systems, we also address the compensation of sweetness loss additionally, depending on customer requirements.”

One raw material Schäfer recommends for such recipes is the “sugar booster” from Hydrosol’s sister company OlbrichtArom. This natural flavoring enhances the delicate sweetness in end products without affecting its characteristic taste.

Supplementing favorite beverages
The Stabiprime MFD product range can be used to make reduced-sugar flavored beverages for children, among other milk-mixed drinks formulated with taste profiles appealing to the wider market.

Stabiprime MFD ingredients can be applied in milk drinks with vanilla, strawberry and banana flavors that children enjoy, or in trendy beverage blends such as cappuccino, coconut and walnut that appeal to adults.

They are also applicable in what Hydrosol details as “the most difficult cases,” such as classic cocoa beverage formulations.

Hydrosol’s Stabiprime MFD product range compensates for sugar reduction in terms of product properties such as mouthfeel or viscosity.Each of these beverages can be enriched with vitamins and minerals, or offered as high-protein drinks, for broader market potential. 

“We can produce our Stabiprime MFD products in Europe as well as the US, and have recently further improved the range. Our goal is to address further application areas and offer customers additional potential,” Schäfer tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

“The ideal customer for this product range is one that owns a continuous heat exchanger, already produces flavored milk drinks, and would like to expand its product portfolio to include particularly economical or even premium products to broaden its target group,” she notes.

“For the future, we are of course following the trends and expanding the application areas of the product range to include new trend products.”

For an in-depth look at breakthroughs in the hydrocolloids category, readers may be directed to FoodIngredientsFirst’s Special Report on the topic.

By Benjamin Ferrer