Food Hydrocolloids in the Dairy Industry

Abstract

Food hydrocolloids are used in a variety of manufactured dairy products as stabilizers and thickening or gelling agents. A more recent application relates to the use of some hydrocolloids for increasing the soluble fiber content of milk-based, dietary products. The current trend toward new dairy products with lower fat and lower total solids content has created a need for improved stabilization technology. A governing principle for the stabilization of many dairy products is a recognition that combinations of hydrocolloids can be more effective than the use of a single stabilizer. This realization and decades of industrial experience have led to the introduction and marketing of a large number of blended hydrocolloids formulated for specific dairy products. For ice cream and other frozen dairy desserts, typical stabilizer blends involve the use of primary colloidal stabilizers (CMC, alginate, and locust or guar bean gum) in combination with the secondary stabilizer, carrageenan. In these blends, carrageenan serves the purpose of preventing serum separation of ice cream mix caused by the use of the primary stabilizers. While the tendency for serum separation is related to the concentration levels and polymer size of the primary colloids, the effectiveness of carrageenan as a balancing factor may be related to its specific milk protein reactivity.