How to control the quality of your ice cream – and your costs Beating the LBG spiral: The costs of Locust Bean Gum and Tara Gum – common ingredients for mouthfeel and stability in ice cream – are out of control. In this article Claus Prior Hansen, Application Manager, Ice cream & Dairy, Palsgaard A/S , explains how you can reduce your emulsifier/stabiliser costs by as much as two-thirds – with Palsagaard’s latest LBG-free product, Palsgaard ® ExtruIce 306 . The LBG and tara gum price crisis Locust Bean Gum (LBG) has long been a go-to ingredient in ice cream, particularly in products with a luxury positioning. It acts as a stabiliser and thickener, preventing ice crystal growth, increasing creaminess and controlling meltdown. But LBG has never been associated with stability when it comes to cost. There have long been spikes in price and fluctuations in availability, but the situation has now spiralled out of control. With demand outstripping supply and speculators sitting on stocks, prices are more than eight times higher than two years ago. Initially, tara gum represented a price-stable alternative. However, cost-in-use prices of that too have skyrocketed as a knock-on effect of the LBG situation. ”Fluctuating LBG costs are nothing new”, says Claus Prior Hansen, Application Manager for Ice Cream and Dairy at Palsgaard. “The problem now is that costs have gone sky high and stayed there – and tara has followed it. It’s not a feasible alternative anymore and it’s creating a lot of frustration for manufacturers.” 4
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