New Dairy Directions

Juice-based smoothies require a special stabilization system, advises Tamara Reinhart, group leader, Tate & Lyle, Decatur, IL, because you’re introducing an acid into a dairy system. “A pectin-based system with some starch added for body is probably the ultimate thing to do to protect the protein, and also provide the viscosity in the mouth,” she says.

Lesser-known gums are another option. Fenugreek gum “can be used similarly to locust bean gum, or guar gum,” notes Brooks. “Fenugreek gum is a galactomannan and, therefore, has similar functionalities compared to these other gums. It is also excellent in cold processing and combines synergistically with xanthan gum.”

For a natural or organic product, Reinhart recommends tapioca starch, among other options. “Look at an organic guar gum or organic locust bean gum, especially in ice cream,” she says.

In selecting a stabilizing or fat-replacement system for dairy applications, product developers need to consider several factors, including “protein denaturization; whether or not the finished product is going to be frozen; moisture retention; texture; particulate suspension such as fruit pieces or other inclusions; and emulsification stability,” Brooks advises.

Other factors to consider are the pH of the system, the type of ions present, fortification ingredients and levels, heat treatment, the amount of shear during process, shelf-life expectations and cost constraints, to name a few.

Sweetness counts

When lowering fat or sugar in yogurts and ice creams, Jason Perkins, applications specialist, Cargill Flavor Systems, Minneapolis, suggests “additional dairy flavors to improve overall flavor appeal and to increase mouthfeel of the products. Any product that removes sugar or adds functional ingredients requires flavors that add back sweetness, mouthfeel, or mask the off notes inherent in many functional ingredient systems.”

A number of options exist for sweetener selection in frozen dairy foods, notes YoungSoo Song, associate project coordinator, food applications, Roquette America, Inc., Keokuk, IA. “These fall into two categories,” she says. “The first is conventional sweeteners and includes the usual fully caloric sugars like sucrose, dextrose, lactose and glucose syrups. The second category is for applications having healthy attributes like reduced sugar, added fiber, reduced calories, etc. This category includes a wide variety of ingredients, including most of the polyols and some soluble-fiber products. For these healthier ingredients, redesigning of the stabilizer system is not required.”

Crystalline maltitol can be used as a “one-to-one replacement for sucrose in better-for-you, no-sugar-added dairy ice cream where straight sucrose is normally used,” Song says. “Also, a variety of polyglycerols and maltitol syrups are available to replace glucose syrups and blends of glucose syrups with sucrose.” Roquette’s maltitol syrup is “designed to facilitate the formulation of low-fat frozen dairy products by delivering desirable physical and sensory properties while providing reduced glycemic index and lower calories,” she says.