DESCRIPTION

“Thickeners” are substances that increase the viscosity of a food product. Stabilizers are substances that maintain the physical and chemical state of a food product and include those that help maintain a homogeneous dispersion of two or more immiscible substances within a food product. Additionally, they retain or enhance the existing color of a food product. Various thickeners may be more or less suitable for stabilizing suspensions and emulsions, exhibiting water-holding capacity, binding properties, and the ability to form complexes with proteins.

  • Plant-based Sources:
    • Pectins
    • Cellulose: Methylcellulose, Carboxymethyl cellulose, Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC)
    • Carrageenan
    • Alginates
    • Guar gum
    • Carob bean flour
    • Xanthan gum
    • Tara gum
    • Agar
    • Konjac gum
  • Animal-based Sources (Protein-based):
    • Caseinates
    • Gelatins

“Emulsifiers” facilitate the formation or maintenance of a homogeneous mixture of two or more immiscible phases, such as oil and water, in a food product. They reduce surface tension by positioning themselves at the interface between the two phases, including products such as:

  • Sunflower and soybean lecithins
  • Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids
  • Acetic, citric, and tartaric esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids
  • Sucrestere

IOURFUDINGRIDIENTS