Home / Insights / Formulating Dairy Alternative Beverages with Better Suspension and Texture

Formulating Dairy Alternative Beverages with Better Suspension and Texture

In the competitive dairy alternatives market, taste and texture are what drive loyalty – and consumers do not want to compromise. They expect the products they purchase to meet their taste and texture standards, which are based on their familiarity with dairy.

For formulators, competing with dairy milk means attaining the suspension of insoluble ingredients for added nutrition, viscosity, mouthfeel and stabilization for visual appeal. KELCOGEL^® HA-B Gellan Gum is considered the gold standard for suspension of insoluble ingredients. It can be used in combination with other texturants to tailor mouthfeel.

Now CP Kelco has a new, strong value proposition for achieving stability and viscosity in dairy alternative beverages: Try KELCOGEL^® HA-B Gellan Gum together with NUTRAVA^® Citrus Fiber for body, viscosity and mouthfeel. NUTRAVA^® Citrus Fiber addresses the need for nature-based, clean label-friendly and recognizable ingredients. it can be listed as simply citrus fiber on the label. Upcycled from citrus peels, an abundant byproduct of the juice industry, NUTRAVA^® Citrus Fiber supports dietary fiber intake and increased viscosity with a light, refreshing mouthfeel. It may also provide cost savings for dairy alternative beverage manufacturers who typically add gums for mouthfeel, such as locust bean gum that is in short supply.

CP Kelco’s Portfolio of Dairy Alternative Beverage Solutions

CP Kelco offers a nature-based portfolio of ingredient solutions to help meet your formulation needs and deliver a dairy-like drinking experience for consumers.

We can help…

Support clean label-friendly formulations
Support stability, suspension, body and texture
Support mouthfeel enhancement
Provide flexibility for easier processing
Provide potential cost savings opportunity

Let us help you find the solution that is best for your plant-based beverage formulation. Contact us for ideas and recipes!

Home / Insights / 3 Ways to Clean Up with Bio-Based Ingredients

3 Ways to Clean Up with Bio-Based Ingredients

1. Sustainable is the new clean.

Consumers are developing a better understanding of how their personal care habits can impact the environment – especially our waterways. Biodegradable ingredients break down to water, CO₂ and organic matter within six months.

2. Help maintain skin health.

Another cleansing trend going mainstream is a better appreciation for managing stress and skin health. Goodbye harsh surfactants that can dry out skin. Say hello to gentler, calming ingredients that keep moisture in without upsetting skin’s pH and acid mantle.

3. Have fun with innovative textures.

Suspend exfoliating scrubbers or beads. Go luxuriously thick or water-thin or even waterless. New powders, bars, gels and jellies add life to the daily routine.

Nature-Powered Ingredients to Help

ARBALON^® Cellulose Liquid

Our biodegradable, fermentation-derived stabilizer has a unique cellulose structure that forms an invisible 3D net to evenly suspend scrubbers, decorative or fragrance beads and more. Effective in high-surfactant or low/no water formulations. Ready to use and fully activated.

KELTROL^® Xanthan Gum

This versatile, fermentation-derived ingredient is known for its unique smooth flow behavior, silky feel and even texture. It provides high viscosity at low shear rates for foams, suspensions and emulsion stability. It also provides low viscosity at high shear for pumpability. Plus, you get exceptional stability and thickening characteristics for a wide range of products.

GENU^® Carrageenan

A multifunctional water-binding agent, this ingredient provides a creamy texture to emulsions and a honey-like flow as it locks in moisture to increase hydration. It can be used to replace synthetics in shampoos and other products.

Our Nature-Powered Ingredient Portfolio

Home / Insights / Personal Care Recipe Card Downloads

Personal Care Recipe Card Downloads

Click the images or buttons below to download our personal care recipe cards.

Home / Insights / Using Nature-Powered Ingredients to Formulate Plant-Based Meat Alternatives

Using Nature-Powered Ingredients to Formulate Plant-Based Meat Alternatives

The global market for burger and sausage alternatives has been experiencing tremendous growth – and is still expected to climb as more flexitarians embrace plant-based protein. However, CP Kelco has identified two trends that could impact success:

No Compromise. Consumers have high expectations. While consumers are willing to try new things, they expect the products they purchase to meet their taste and texture standards as well as have high quality ingredients at a reasonable price. In a 2021 Innova Market Insights survey, consumers were asked “what reasons would keep you from buying plant-based alternatives?” 32% answered, “Poor taste and texture.” Also of note, 19% cited concerns that it was “too processed/artificial ingredients.”
Good for You, Good for the Planet Too. According to Innova Market Insights, consumers buy plant-based alternatives because they believe the products are “healthier.”

Source: Innova Market Insights

With these trends in mind, CP Kelco developed a nature-based portfolio of ingredient solutions to help formulators

Support clean label-friendly formulations
Provide a more recognizable ingredient list (that may help brands gain market share)
Deliver an optimal, meat-like eating experience for consumers
Provide flexibility for easier processing

Meeting a Range of Formulation Needs

GENU^® Texturizer MA-1 is a dual-function solution comprised of methylcellulose and carrageenan. It is a highly effective and well-known gel at hot temperature. It provides cohesiveness and the addition of cold bite for easier cutting ability under cool conditions. For example, this would give manufacturers the opportunity to expand into sausage alternatives that can be enjoyed on a charcuterie board under cool conditions. It can be used with current equipment for ease and is less sticky than methylcellulose alone.

For those looking for an alternative to methylcellulose, CP Kelco offers KELCOGEL^® MA-60 Gellan Gum. A soluble fiber produced by fermentation, this multifunctional ingredient provides hot bite and a meat-like texture. It is extremely easy to use with improved dough rheology. Of course, gellan gum is already known as a go-to ingredient for solving plant-based protein challenges.

For extra juiciness during the eating experience, GENU^® Pectin MA-50 can be used in combination with KELCOGEL^® MA-60 Gellan Gum. This clean label-friendly ingredient is sourced from citrus peels, a byproduct of the juice industry. When used with gellan gum, it delivers an optimal hot bite for a complete methylcellulose alternative solution.

NUTRAVA^® Citrus Fiber boost is a clean label-friendly and easily recognizable food ingredient that can enable starch substitution and stabilize emulsions. A fiber ingredient, it is made from sustainably sourced citrus peels, an abundant byproduct of the juice industry. NUTRAVA^® Citrus Fiber boost supports dietary fiber intake and provides unique water holding capacity to increase cooking yield and juiciness. It supports meat-like texture for plant-based meat alternatives that appeal to the senses. Labeled as ‘citrus fiber,’ it also does not require an E number in Europe.

For tips and recipe cards to inspire your plant-based formulations, contact us.

Home / Insights / Innovative Concepts in Ambient Yogurt

Innovative Concepts in Ambient Yogurt

Ambient yogurts are fermented dairy or plant protein-based products which undergo an extra heat treatment that provides them with the benefit of a long shelf life. When ambient drinking yogurts (ADY) were first introduced to China more than 10 years ago, their shelf-stable format was a big hit with consumers and manufacturers alike. Over the years, ambient yogurts have become a way for dairy producers and plant-based brands to expand their line and marketing potential.

The category now includes a variety of new formats, such as spoonable or squeezable pouches in addition to beverages. Ambient yogurts can also be tailored to meet regional needs, like this salted buttermilk in India or this low-sugar mango and passionfruit yogurt drink in Latin America, and incorporate plant protein instead of dairy, like this long shelf life oat yogurt alternative.

In every region, ambient yogurts have proven themselves to be a convenient way to enjoy a protein snack on the go. Consumers love that they can just pop an ambient yogurt in a backpack or gym bag and enjoy anytime. Plus, without cold chain distribution challenges, ambient yogurts are well suited for e-commerce as well as brick and mortar retail. The long shelf life means less spoilage and less food waste.

CP Kelco can help formulators innovate using a portfolio of nature-based ingredient solutions for dairy yogurt or plant-based yogurt alternatives, such as…

GENU^® Pectin for protein protection during heat treatment, stability, suspension, texture enhancement, syneresis control and a pleasant mouthfeel.
KELCOGEL^® Gellan Gum for suspension of particles and insoluble minerals, syneresis control and added texture.
NUTRAVA^® Citrus Fiber, a sustainably produced ingredient from citrus peels that supports fiber intake as well as starch replacement, syneresis control, body and mouthfeel.

Watch our quick video below to catch up on all the global happenings in ambient yogurt production.

All rights reserved. Video may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or
transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of CP Kelco.

Want more ideas or help stabilizing your ambient yogurt concept? Click here to contact us.

Home / Insights / Label-Friendly Alternatives to Locust Bean Gum

Label-Friendly Alternatives to Locust Bean Gum

Locust bean gum (LBG) is a popular, clean label-friendly ingredient that thickens, adds mouthfeel and helps with stabilization in a wide range of products. One of its strengths is its versatility. Application possibilities are as diverse as fruit preparations and water gel desserts; dairy products such as ice cream, yogurt and cream cheese; and plant-based dairy alternatives.

The problem is that LBG pricing has steadily and dramatically increased over the last 3 years. LBG market pricing is not always predictable for several reasons, including regional conditions, speculation, and traders who use their inventory of seeds as a fiber source for a secondary value stream. Supply and cost uncertainty has become a stress on food and beverage manufacturers.

Product developers are partial to LBG because it is a nature-based ingredient. But if you think you need to compromise on clean label or functionality in order to find a suitable replacement for your formulation, you don’t. CP Kelco has developed several clean label-friendly solutions that can deliver a similar texture and mouthfeel experience, as well as potential cost savings and supply stability.

Applications & Locust Bean Gum Alternatives at a Glance

	KELCOGEL® Gellan Gum	GENU® Carrageenan	GENU® Pectin	NUTRAVA® Citrus Fiber
Dairy beverages Drinking yogurts	●	●	●
Plant-based beverages Drinking yogurt alternatives	●	●	●
Yogurt fruit prep		●	●
Cream cheese* Plant-based cream cheese alternatives		●
Plant-based spoonable yogurt alternatives			●
Ice cream		●	●
Water Gel Desserts		●

NUTRAVA® Citrus Fiber is considered a food ingredient and can be listed as citrus fiber on label.
*The standard of identity may vary in different countries

Solutions for a Variety of Applications

CP Kelco has also developed solutions for a variety of applications beyond those listed here. In addition, our team of technical experts is happy to work with you to minimize the amount of LBG needed in your formulation or find other ingredients to help with texture, stabilization, gelling, water-binding and syneresis control. For more ideas regarding LBG alternatives, contact us here.

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Formulating Dairy Alternative Beverages with Better Suspension and Texture