Bid for fat reduction, leaner labels and simpler techniques fuels Palsgaard innovation

Knud Erik Mogensen, business unit manager for bakery and confectionary at the Danish company, said that there is a strong focus on clean label throughout the industry, a trend that the company is focused on through development.

“We are in the e-numbers business and so it is a challenge for us. We need to think of how we can use the minimum number of functional ingredients and how we can maximise performance of fewer ingredients,”​ Mogensen told FoodNavigator.com.

Anders Molbak Jensen, product manager for Fine Foods at Palsgaard noted that in particular there is a strong demand for lower fat content.

“For the younger generation, fat content is the first thing they are looking at… Consumers are focusing on fat reductions but they don’t want to compromise on quality,”​ he said.

Mayonnaises and dressings​

Palsgaard said its new stabilizer compound, Palsgaard 1-2-3​, has created a simpler production process, enabling manufacturers to use one system for the entire production line of dressings and mayonnaises, irrespective of the fat content.

“There is ease of traceability and easy handling… Typically you would use different combinations for high fat and low fat production, but logistically our customers want something much easier,”​ Jensen said.

The system is designed for cold processed mayonnaises and dressings containing egg yolk, with fat content ranging from 0.5% to 60%.

Jensen said that the system actually enables production of 0% fat but the egg yolk adds some natural fat content.

Bakery​

Palsgaard has two new cake emulsifiers intended for use in non-aerated and aerated cake batters such as muffins, cupcakes and sponge cakes.

Palsgaard SA 6620​ is a lean label ingredient, with a long shelf-life and high aerating power that creates stability in cake systems.

“Manufacturers with a strong focus on ‘leaner label’ will opt for this ingredient because it only has one e-number and wheat flours, so it is very simple to label,”​ Mogensen said.

The second cake emulsifier, Palsgaard SA 6630​,​has been developed to accommodate to the demand for fast and efficient premixing and convenience in production, added the supplier.

Mogensen noted that while both ingredients have the same functionality, this is faster acting; distributing better and picking up air quicker.

Palsgaard has also developed a new fat-reduced puff pastry margarine, Palsgaard 1325​, that gives a very delicate product, and has a fat content of 60%, Jensen said.

“This is an emulsifier film that forms between the layers of pastry,”​ he said, ensuring excellent lift and a dry surface.

He noted that the reduced fat content is about as low as they can develop it without impacting processing.

“If you go lower, there would be extra water in the system and then you would need to change the flour as more starch would be needed,”​ he explained.

All the products were launched at FiE last month and are available on the global market.