Hydrosol sees demand grow for clean-label stabilising systems
Hydrosol provides stabilising products for use in the delicatessen, dairy and ice cream sectors, in products such as mayonnaise, yoghurt, cream cheese, ice cream and even boiled sausage.
For instance, within the deli sector the firm’s stabilising systems can replace E410, E412, E415, E1401 and E1452 in the cold production of mayonnaises and deli sauces, replacing xanthum, guar and carob gum (to cite but three poorly perceived E-numbers) with other ‘natural’ thickeners.
Innovation manager Dr. Dorotea Pein told FoodNavigator.com that demand for clean-label solutions had really grown within Europe “over the past one or two years, although across the rest of the world things are still a little quiet.”
Russian boom
Nonetheless, she did note one interesting exception: “We are seeing a lot of interest in Russia, a big growth market for us, as consumers over there aspire to European-style foods.”
Asked where Hydrosol was really seeing demand, Pein said:“Mainly in dairy products, yoghurts that sort of thing – there’s a real demand for fine food products [within that sector].”
Hydrosol’s dairy stabilising systems replace modified starch, where its newly launced product range combines hydrocolloids such as pectin or carob gum with dietary fibres and milk protein fractions, for use in yoghurts, quark and cream cheese.
Innovative solutions for ice cream also held out much promise, Pein added, where Hydrosol employs functional vegetable fibres, or alternatively egg compound-based ingredients, to provide bespoke solutions for food producers.
Said Pein: “We’ve seen products such as five-ingredient ice cream by Häagen-Dazs and demand is growing. But at the moment we’re finding that our customers don’t really want to pay a premium for clean-label solutions in this sphere.”
Cost barrier?
While Pein admitted Hydrosol’s solutions are “a little bit more expensive” she said that, generally, the firm’s customers are happy to pay a premium for clean-label benefits, given that end consumers were prepared to pay a little more further down the supply chain.
Pein said: “There is a minor cost barrier to uptake – but in general people want clean-label solutions, so we’re meeting a clear demand.”
She said that traditional stabilising solutions – E-numbers in mayonnaise, for instance – are the benchmark against which Hydrosol develops its ranges, which Pein insisted are “comparable to traditional products in terms of taste, mouth feel and other technical qualities.”
