Plant-based foods are in high demand, as consumers seek products that address health, sustainability and environmental concerns. Specifically, the meat alternatives category has seen tremendous rise in demand. Product developers have made great strides in making these products very similar to traditional meat products, to many a consumers’ delight.
Some challenges still remain, including providing a cleaner label product. Producers often rely upon highly synthetic thermogelling and emulsifying ingredients such as methyl cellulose to produce the meat-like texture and juiciness that consumers crave.
In a recent press release, Fiberstar explains, “Methyl cellulose comes in multiple types and forms but provides meat alternatives two key functionalities; namely hot binding strength and emulsification. Citri-Fi natural citrus fiber forms stable emulsions at both hot and cold temperatures. When put together with natural hydrocolloids, the gelling and hot binding functionalities make the system complete. This allows products like burger patties to be cooked at a high temperature without falling apart. During the cooking process, water and fat release to simulate the texture and create a burst of juiciness and sizzle which is convincing to quasi-carnivores.”
Fiberstar has developed an ingredient system containing Citri-Fi® that can replace Methyl Cellulose in plant-based meat free foods. This system possesses an excellent gelling emulsion binding ability.
According to the same release, “Citri-Fi natural citrus fiber is produced from byproduct of the juicing process. The clean and patented process opens up the fiber to provide high surface area. This surface area lends itself to high water holding, heat stability, and emulsification properties. In addition, the Citri-Fi® system also allows formulators to lower the amount of saturated fats such as coconut or palm oil which improves the overall healthiness of their products.”
Read the full press release here.
Skidmore carries a large selection of Fiberstar products. Click here to learn more or contact your Skidmore representative.
