What food thickeners are in beverages?

What food thickeners are in beverages? Commonly used thickeners in beverage production are agar, xanthan gum, pectin, guar gum, locust bean gum, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, propylene glycol alginate, carrageenan, etc.

Instant agar

① Agar has a thickening and stabilizing effect. Compared with other viscosifying colloids, it has no sticky taste, and only a small amount of addition can provide the product with a full and refreshing taste.

② It has superior flavor release and will not mask the flavor release of the food itself.

③ It has thixotropic viscosity, giving liquid beverages a thick texture, but less aftertaste, good throat sensation, and very smooth taste.

④Agar has a certain gelatinity. At low concentration, it can form a fluid three-dimensional network structure in solution. It has good suspension, so that some insoluble components such as protein, fiber and powder components can be well suspended. Effect. And improve the stability of the beverage during the shelf life and prevent the phenomenon of water separation and stratification.

Xanthan Gum

Xanthan gum has the highest viscosity of natural gum at low concentration (below 0.5%) and is soluble in cold water. Aqueous solutions have typical pseudoplastic flow. When subjected to shearing, the viscosity gradually decreases, and when the shearing force decreases, the viscosity recovers immediately. The viscosity of the aqueous solution is basically constant over a wide temperature range. When the temperature of most gums increases by 5°C, the viscosity decreases by about 15%, while the viscosity of xanthan gum decreases by only about 5%. Xanthan gum is also salt tolerant and will not salt out when heated in the presence of table salt. It has a synergistic effect when mixed with galactomannan-containing gums such as locust gum and guar gum. It thickens significantly when combined with locust gum and forms a gel when combined with guar gum.

Xanthan gum can be widely used as thickener, emulsifier, stabilizer and gel strengthener, used in pulp beverages, protein beverages, etc., which can increase the thickness of beverages and stabilize the suspension of each ingredient. Due to the pseudoplasticity of xanthan gum, it is used to thicken beverages without stickiness and has good aroma. The use of CMC as a colloid protectant, combined with xanthan gum, can prevent beverage agglomeration. Xanthan gum can also be used in solid powder beverages with a standard dosage of 1%.

Carrageenan

Carrageenan is white or light yellow powder, tasteless and odorless, completely soluble in hot water above 60℃, insoluble in organic solvents. The stability is best at pH 9, and it can be heated at high temperature above pH 6, and acid hydrolysis will occur when heated below pH 3.5. Aqueous solutions can generate reversible gels in the presence of potassium and calcium ions.

Carrageenan is used as thickening agent, suspending agent, gelling agent, emulsifier and stabilizer, and the general dosage is 0.03%-0.5%. For example, the dosage in cocoa milk is 0.025%-0.035%, milk gel is 0.2%-0.3%, yogurt is 0.02%-0.03%, and K type is selected for heat-sterilized beverages and milk gel. At the same time, carrageenan and locust gum have a synergistic effect, which can improve the curd strength and viscosity.

Pectin

Pectin is brown or gray-white granules or powder with a sticky and slippery taste, soluble in 20 times of water, milky white viscous liquid, good heat resistance, insoluble in organic solvents.

Pectin is used in fruit juice beverages or solid beverages to increase the viscosity of beverages, or to stabilize the suspension of essential oils and fruit particles. The dosage in fruit juice drinks is 0.05%-0.1%, and the dosage in concentrated fruit juice is 0.1%-0.2%. When using, moisten with syrup or mix with more than 3 times the amount of sugar to make pectin more soluble in water.

Gelatin

Gelatin is a colorless or light yellow transparent, brittle, almost odorless, tasteless flake or coarse powder. Swells in 5-10 times the amount of cold water, soluble in hot water, glycerol and acetic acid, insoluble in organic solvents such as ether and ethanol. When dissolved in hot water, it becomes a very viscous sol, the concentration below 5% does not gel, and the solution of 10%-15% can form a gel.

Gelatin can be used as a thickener and stabilizer for beverages, and as a clarifying agent for fruit juices and wines.

Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose

CMC is a cellulose derivative with a glucose polymerization degree of 200-500 and an etherification degree of 0.6-0.7. It is a white or off-white powder or fibrous substance, odorless and hygroscopic. The degree of substitution of the carboxyl group (the degree of etherification) determines its properties. When the etherification degree is above 0.3, it is soluble in alkali solution. The viscosity of the aqueous solution is determined by pH and degree of polymerization. When the degree of etherification is 0.5-0.8, it will not precipitate in acid. CMC is easily soluble in water and becomes a transparent viscous solution in water, and its viscosity varies with the solution concentration and temperature. The temperature is stable below 60°C, and the viscosity will decrease when heated for a long time at a temperature above 80°C.

CMC has various functions such as thickening, suspending, emulsifying and stabilizing. In beverage production, it is mainly used as a thickener for pulp-type juice beverages, as an emulsification stabilizer for protein beverages and as a stabilizer for yogurt beverages. The dosage is generally 0.1%-0.5%.

Propylene Glycol Alginate

PGA is light yellow and slightly aromatic powder. It is easily soluble in water. The general dosage is 1%. When the concentration is high, the viscosity is large, and the viscosity decreases when the temperature increases. In the range of pH 3-4, the viscosity increases with the decrease of pH. The most stable near pH 3, hydrolysis occurs above pH 7, and the viscosity decreases significantly. PGA is stable at about 60 °C, and the viscosity decreases when the temperature is raised again. However, the change during heating only showed a decrease in the degree of polymerization, and no hydrolysis of the ester bond was observed, and it was relatively stable even in an acidic solution with pH 3.1 at 90°C.

PGA has a propylene glycol group and has high lipophilicity, so it has strong emulsification. At the same time, due to its low degree of esterification, its properties are similar to sodium alginate. It is mainly used as an emulsion stabilizer in beverage production to improve the stability of emulsions. It can also be used as a stabilizer for fruit juice beverages, yoghurt beverages, and an emulsion stabilizer for emulsified flavors.