Formulating with Hydrocolloids: Tips & Tradeoffs [Presentation]

Originally Published: October 14, 2021
Last Updated: March 7, 2022
Formulating with Hydrocolloids. 2021 Clean Label Premium Webinar-Nesha Zalesny

The presentation titled “Formulating with Hydrocolloids: Tips & Tradeoffs” was given by Nesha Zalesny, MBA, Technical Consultant, IMR International. This presentation was part of Global Food Forums’ 2021 Premium Webinar Series “Technical Solutions in Formulating Clean Label Food.” 

The webinar description is as follows: It’s often said that “taste is king,” but foods will be quickly rejected if their texture is found unacceptable. This jam-packed presentation looks at key concepts in selecting and formulating with hydrocolloids. The discussion includes the basic properties of hydrocolloid texture (i.e., fluid and gel) and their interactions with other food components and each other. Other considerations impacting their use from pH to processing to price will be considered while the practical aspects of stability and shelf life will be touched on. The presentation ends with a list of “tips and tradeoffs” in hydrocolloid use.

Excerpt from the written summary of this presentation: Some hydrocolloids are concentration dependent. Carrageenan, for instance, will form a fluid gel at low concentrations, but at high concentrations, the gel will be more rigid. Other hydrocolloids act as suspension agents and form gels while sitting on a shelf but “break up nicely and form a light, refreshing beverage” when poured or placed in the mouth, as with carrageenan and high acyl (HA) gellan, described Zalesny.

Viscosity may be shear-dependent for certain gums. Xanthan gum has a high low-shear viscosity, but a higher high-shear viscosity. This means a beverage made with xanthan gum will have a higher viscosity when consumed, which is less refreshing.

As a product developer, the question you need to ask yourself is whether you want a smooth flow or a little bit of body. “A reduced-sugar beverage formula for a fruit juice may need a little bit of body to make up for the lack of the bulk of sugar, of which pectin and gum acacia are excellent,” suggested Zalesny.

Click here to visit the written summary of this presentation “Hydrocolloid Functionality for Product Developers.”

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NOTE:  A summary of this presentation plus expanded information will be published late fall of 2021.

See Nesha Zalesny’s video below.