Baking&Snack - November 2011 - 35

GUMS, HYDROCOLLOIDS

Specialized ingredients stabilize water and give baked foods texture and structure while also enabling gluten-free formulations.

BY LAURIE GORTON sually, steady supply and good availability characterize the market for gums and hydrocolloids. But unusually, current circumstances have sent formulators scrambling to replace one of these useful natural materials: guar. Such conditions will likely persist for a long time to come, and that fact changes the way formulations will be balanced. Food gums manage moisture and texture in a broad spectrum of baked goods and snacks. The ability of these specialized ingredients to build structure also helps satisfy demand for gluten-free products, yet there may be even bigger roles for such highly functional materials. “No question, the future for innovation in hydrocolloids lies beyond simply thickening, gelling or stabilizing,” observed Dennis Seisun, principal, IMR International, San Diego, CA. He summarized developments described at this year’s Hydrocolloid Conference: “Nutritional aspects, along with physiological effects on satiety, cholesterol control, probiotic and prebiotic effects, are all being researched intensively.” Guar’s tight supply is the only black cloud on the horizon. Normally plentiful, guar recently was adopted by the oil and gas industry as an aid to horizontal drilling. It thickens drilling solutions just as well as it thickens foods, and it has become a game-changer in drilling technology. “Oilfield demand for guar is definitely the prime cause of its tightness in supply,” Mr. Seisun said. (See Web exclusive “What About Guar?” at www.bakingbusiness.com.)

GUM FUNCTIONS. Food gums act as water-control agents by altering the viscosity, or resistance to flow, of a system or by forming gels. Also known as hydrocolloids, these ingredients come from plant exudates, plant and seaweed extracts, plant seed gums, plant cellulose, microbial fermentation and animal tissue. Gelatin, derived from animal collagen, is a protein, but all other common hydrocolloids are polysaccharides. Depending on their use, gums act as stabilizers, film formers, suspending agents, whipping agents, coating agents or crystallization inhibitors. These materials operate over a broad range of functionalities. Some form gels; others do not. Some are soluble at room temperatures; others require heat. Some are stable at low pH; others work better under neutral to alkaline conditions. Still others require the presence of potassium or calcium ions to achieve the desired results. Most, but not all, are thermo-reversible. Typical usage levels come to less than 1%, often in the range of 0.1 to 0.3%. “But there is no one-size-fitsall answer,” said Harold Nicoll, marketing manager, TIC Gums, White Marsh, MD. “As far as limits, there are some. Overuse of gums will literally weigh a product down.” The newest is flax. OptiSol 5000, a flaxseed-based ingredient system offered by Glanbia Nutritionals, Fitchburg, WI, can manage moisture, extend shelf life and give dough more workability and extensibility in applications such as tortillas, pizza dough, fresh breads, baked bars, cookies and muffins.

▲ Acacia trees exude sap from breaks in stems and branches. When dried and processed, the sap becomes a soluble fiber-rich food gum.
NEXIRA

“Not only does it have these functional properties, it can also be considered a health-and-wellness ingredient,” said Marilyn Stieve, Glanbia Nutritionals’ business development manager. Its flaxseed source confers high levels of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid. Foods that contain 0.65 g OptiSol 5000 per serving can make a “good source” claim for ALA on package labels. FIBER ANGLES. Also new — or rather, newly recognized — is the role of gums as dietary fiber. For example, Nexira (previously known as Colloides Naturels), Somerville, NJ, selected a specific range of acacia gum that guarantees 90% soluble dietary fiber content, according to Teresa Yazbek Pereira, the company’s vice-president and sales director. “In bakery, Fibregum delivers technical and nutritional benefits at the same time,” she said. Acacia in this form is a proven prebiotic at 6, 10 and 15 g per day and exhibits a high degree of gastrointestinal tolerance, promoting “gut comfort” and well-being, according to Ms. Yazbek Pereira. Usage levels

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Baking&Snack - November 2011

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