Smooth substitution

FOR ANY manufacturer, market competitiveness means being able to keep production costs to a minimum. The way to achieve this is by sourcing low-priced raw materials for a product formula or by engineering cost efficiency at the production stage. The latter becomes the challenge when the former fails. But there are various approaches to achieving cost efficiency without sacrificing perceived quality in a product.

One of the approaches maintained in achieving cost efficiency is quite familiar to food technology, as it is likewise a common method in cooking. It is the method of substituting ingredients for another, in which a pricey ingredient is replaced by a cheaper or zero-cost alternative, ideally with the least noticeable change, occurring in the product’s consumption. That last clause requirement is important, because market competitiveness demands value for money. But problems do occur in ingredients substitution. Fortunately, several new hydrocolloids or food gums can take the place of many a costly ingredient, offering similar (or close enough) textures in food products. 

TIC Gums has shown manufacturers how to cut costs on expensive ingredients without giving up taste. After all, texture is quite as important as flavour. Let’s take the example of replacing milk and cream in cheese sauces. Because of their fat content, milk and cream add “mouth coating” to cheese sauces, so that substituting any significant percentage of these with water alone makes them seem thin or watery, with the mouth coating mouthfeel quick to slide off the palate – leaving the consumer displeased. A more satisfying taste would come from combining water with gum systems which preserve the texture of cream and milk whilst reducing their amount in the sauce formula. This frees consumers from being charged the higher price of the “unsubstituted” formula.

So, how much did the manufacturer save? The percentage of water added with the gums is the percentage of cream and milk saved in the cheese sauces. Of course, savings will vary between the different recipes and package sizes, but TIC Gums’ uniform distribution of water and use of gums have on the whole prevented sauces from losing their quality appeal.

The company’s Ticaloid Ultrasmooth and Ticaloid Saucier are hydrocolloids used in making two types of cheese sauces. Ticaloid Saucier stabilises and enhances a variety of sauce-type applications and provides ideal emulsification, thickening, and suspension, and also adds “cling”. On the other hand, Ticaloid Ultrasmooth, has economically provided suspension and thickening to sauces of all types.

Another product, Ticalose CMC 15000, is a high-viscosity CMC that has been specially processed to resist such influences as salt and low pH. Used for ravioli filling, it can withstand extreme processing conditions, such as heat and pressure. Also, when the cheese sauces are frozen and stored, the hydrocolloid manage the water and keep it from coalescing and forming large ice crystals. These are features that add to the perceived quality of the cheese sauces.

A baked goods partner
  
A blend of gums developed mainly for the baked and snack foods industry, Add-Here CSA is considered revolutionary by TIC Gums.  It is a more viscous binder and film former that allows inclusions like sesame or poppy seeds, salt, sugar and spices to stick to bagels, crackers, chips, biscuits and crisps. Normally bakers use water or egg wash for this. Water is much cheaper than Add-Here, but seeds and other inclusions can fall off the baked product.  On the other hand, the gum is more expensive than egg wash, but it is non-allergenic. 

 
Texturising food technolMercurial Superfly low