Category: Gellan Gum
In CP Kelco’s continued effort to better serve our customers and invest for a sustainable future, we are embarking on a change to improve several aspects of our existing packaging. This change will improve customer experience by continuing improvement in food safety & quality, and result in significant carbon footprint* reductions related to CP Kelco’s new bag packaging materials compared to previous packaging options. Learn more about this change in the video and linked resources below.
Additional Resources:
- Investing for a More Sustainable Future [Presentation]
- Investing for a More Sustainable Future: Bag Details [Presentation]
- CP Kelco Biogums Packaging Change [FAQs]
- CP Kelco Okmulgee Plant Information Sheet
For more information, please reach out to your commercial representative, distribution partner or contact us online.
*Carbon footprint measured by the carbon dioxide emissions associated with biomass combustion measured for all components in the tested packaging.
Clean Label is a consumer-driven, global movement without a clear definition. At the heart of it, consumers want to know what ingredients are in – and not in – their favorite foods and beverages. They want to see a shorter product label that’s easy to read with ingredients they recognize. Ingredients need to deliver on a variety of fronts. In addition to nutritional and functional benefits, consumers want food that’s appealing… that looks, tastes and smells good.
From some of our customer interactions, we discovered that ‘clean label’ means different things across the globe. Here are some regional differences:
- In developed countries in Europe and the Middle East, clean label can be perceived as a shorter ingredient list using more recognizable ingredients and fewer or no E-numbers.
- In many Latin American countries, sugar-free is important to consumers, as well as using “natural” ingredients. (Note: “Natural” does not have a clear definition either.)
- In the Asia Pacific region and China, a short ingredient list is preferable, as well as organic ingredients. The region is so vast that clean label perceptions can vary by country:
- In Japan, consumers are looking for more sugar-free and reduced sugar products, so taste and texture take precedence. Clean label can sometimes be perceived as a “nice to have” goal – especially if you can reduce costs by using fewer ingredients.
- Consumers in Australia and New Zealand tend to prefer products as close to nature as possible.
- In India, vegetarian and non-GMO products have always been essential so it’s not a differentiator.
- In North America, there’s an emphasis on non-GMO and organic ingredients. There’s also a social and sustainability aspect. Clean label is evolving to include an expectation for companies to support their local community, and use sustainably produced and sourced ingredients.
As you can see, there are many ways to achieve a clean label. That presents plenty of reformulation opportunities for manufacturers – along with some big challenges. How do you create products that don’t compromise on taste and texture?
Clean label and Functionality Go Together
It is possible to deliver clean label benefits and the functional requirements needed to meet consumer expectations:
One answer lies in a next-generation ingredient solution that is differentiated by its composition and process. NUTRAVA® Citrus Fiber contributes to the daily fiber intake with soluble and insoluble fiber. It is derived from an abundant, nature-based supply of raw material, the fresh citrus peel byproduct of the juicing industry. Citrus peel naturally has a high pectin content and, with our patented process, we’ve found a way to retain more of it. NUTRAVA® Citrus Fiber is considered a food ingredient in Europe with no E-number.
Going Vegan
In condiments such as mayonnaise and dressings, it’s been difficult to create vegan and low-fat versions that can deliver on taste and texture without egg. NUTRAVA® Citrus Fiber makes it possible to stabilize oil-in-water emulsions and attain the texture and desired mouthfeel, while using standard manufacturing processes. Moreover, mayonnaise-like dressing produced with NUTRAVA® Citrus Fiber remains stable in macaroni and potato salads. It will not liquify.
Reducing Sugar
From fruit-flavored drinks to dairy alternative beverages and yogurts, CP Kelco offers a variety of nature-based solutions to help you reduce sugar content. The challenge often lies in creating that full-bodied mouthfeel while adding viscosity. We can suggest vegan, non-GMO and gluten-free grades of ingredients such as GENU® Pectin and KELCOGEL® Gellan Gum, plus other nature-based ingredients suitable for short and long shelf life products.
For more tips, see our infographic for 7 ways to clean up your label.
Gellan Gum is your multi-functional, go-to ingredient for conquering protein beverage formulation challenges.
Here’s how we can help solve five challenges when working with neutral pH milk and plant-based protein drinks, smoothies and drinking yogurts:
1. Suspension.
Innovative KELCOGEL® Gellan Gum is a master of long-term suspension. It suspends insoluble ingredients, such as cocoa powder, calcium, minerals and protein, while contributing minimal viscosity. So, you don’t have to worry about sediment on the bottom of your formulation. Gellan gum also offers no adverse impact on flavor. You just get a uniform pour with a clean, pleasant mouthfeel in shelf-stable UHT and refrigerated, neutral pH protein drinks, smoothies and drinking yogurts.
2. Stabilization.
Maintaining product consistency over the course of shelf life is what we call stability. Your beverage must deliver the promise of the ingredient benefits in every sip, and it must taste and look good, without separation and settling. As new alternative protein sources come along, so do new stabilization challenges. For instance, protein powders can be difficult to hydrate and sensitive to heat and pH, so there’s the threat of protein instability in the finished beverage. KELCOGEL Gellan Gum forms a fluid gel to stabilize your beverage and prevent phase separation with minimal impact on viscosity. No matter if you’re using dairy milk or plant proteins, KELCOGEL Gellan Gum provides stabilization.
3. Tailored texture.
Great texture can be compared to making a memorable first impression. It can be hard to describe what you’re expecting, but we encourage formulators to try to address their texture needs up front and work backwards in the process to achieve them. Define the richness, creaminess and other specific attributes you want consumers to experience when tasting your beverage and we can help you attain them. Innovative KELCOGEL Gellan Gum should be the first tool in your texture toolbox. It plays well with other hydrocolloid texturants so we can help you achieve your desired mouthfeel. Remember, most consumers won’t even think about texture – unless it’s inferior. A gelatinous chocolate milk (dairy or alternative dairy) could turn off a customer for good.
4. Reducing ingredients.
KELCOGEL Gellan Gum supports the development of your innovative products with shorter ingredient lists to meet ever-changing consumer demands. Discovered on a water lily plant and commercialized by CP Kelco over 25 years ago, KELCOGEL Gellan Gum is a naturally derived, highly effective, soluble dietary fiber. It’s multifunctional, so a little accomplishes a lot in terms of suspension, stabilization and texture. And it comes in a variety of grades to meet your specification. Because nature-based ingredients form the core of everything we do, quality and sustainability is built into our DNA. We’re proud to be leading the way in how nature-based products are produced.
5. Achieving clean label requirements.
“Free-from” food products are a huge consumer trend. This has led to a rise in vegan/vegetarian, gluten-free and other label-friendly claims. Plant-based, fermentation-derived KELCOGEL Gellan Gum can help you meet your clean label requirements with grades that are non-GMO, vegan, kosher, halal and more to eliminate any consumer concerns.
Let Us Help Find Your Solution
How can we help you satisfy your unique challenges? Whether it’s suspending botanicals in an energy drink, creating an indulgent, creamy smoothie or recovering body in a reduced-calorie beverage, CP Kelco is the perfect partner for the beverage category. With 25 years of gellan gum innovation, world-class application knowledge and regional expertise, our global team of nature-based ingredient enthusiasts love to collaborate with you on good-for-you beverages that range from light and refreshing to rich and decadent.
We tend to view swallowing as a simple reflex, but it actually requires the use of 26 muscles and six nerves. Disease, head/neck injuries and aging can deteriorate these muscles and make swallowing difficult. The medical term for this condition is dysphagia. We’ve all felt that disturbing sensation when food “goes down the wrong pipe.” For someone suffering from