are still useful and can still be sold. sifiers can also provide other ben- Of course, emulsifier type and dos- Of course, such products can be efits, such as an emulsifying film age are just two of many param- reprocessed, but as with most between the dough layers, improv- eters that can be adjusted when things, it is better to get it right the ing plasticity of the margarine and designing or refining a product. first time. ensuring faster crystallisation dur- Increasing stability, for example, ing production. At the same time, may mean the product can handle Performance enhancers a more moist mouth feel is likely to high temperatures, but it won’t pro- Modern, high-performing emulsifi- result, along with good expansion vide the same flavour release as a ers operate on many different and more uniform layer structure less stable emulsion. So, choices levels. They also affect shelf- still need to be made, but to- life of puff pastry. More water day’s emulsifiers certainly en- can be incorporated in the What is an emulsifier? hance the ability to manipu- pastry margarine, resulting in Emulsifiers are molecules with both late the parameters and find a a better mouth-feel of the less- hydrophilic (polar) and hydropho- much more workable balance fatty puff pastry, just as taste bic (non-polar) regions. In water/oil than was possible in the past. can be improved – all at the emulsions, its orientation is reversed: same time. polar groups project into the water Changing landscape New product development, in particular, can now be finely tuned, balancing on a knife edge between stability and in- droplet, while nonpolar regions face the oil. This reduces tension between the two liquids, stabilizing the droplets and preventing them from merging. A processed food manufacturer needs to keep on its toes. In the 1960s, animal fats in food products brought concerns about high cholesterol levels. A stability. One of the key focus areas for emulsifier manufacturers and their margarine customers is drop size – a major influencer In an oil/water emulsion, the nonpolar portion of the emulsifier interacts with the oil droplet, while the polar component faces the surrounding water. change followed to vegetable fat, but that raised trans fatty acids as an issue. And today, the environment and wildlife have also come into focus. of stability. Different emulsi- With sustainability quickly be- fiers doses produce different coming more important to a drop sizes. If you add more salt to the margarine, for example, large drop sizes will result in a more intense taste. Achieving in the baked pastry – even as the product’s fat content is being reduced. growing number of manufacturers to protect their brands – and as part of their own pride in their work – emulsifier suppliers are increas- smaller droplets, without changing the original salt content, will give a less intense salty taste. Puff pastry, on the other hand, always requires strong emulsions with a small drop size, but emul- Just how powerful can today’s emulsifiers be? In fact, whether the goal is to remove lecithin, GMO, reduce e-numbers or fats, including these emulsifiers in the recipe has a significant impact. ingly required to provide new, sustainable versions of their products. One avenue is to move away from palm-based products. But this is not without its complications. Palm-free alternatives, such as 2
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