Cleaner label emulsifying salt

About

In the current context of growing need for cleaner label, including phosphate replacement in the food industry, Jungbunzlauer can offer monosodium citrate (MSC) as alternative to phosphate based emulsifying salts. Jungbunzlauer is a first-choice supplier of bio-based ingredients made by fermentation and a market leader in citric acid and its derivatives globally. Monosodium citrate is a monobasic salt of citric acid. Jungbunzlauer citric acid is manufactured by GMO free fermentation of carbohydrates containing raw materials like glucose syrup from non-GMO maize. Subsequently, monosodium citrate is produced by partial neutralisation of citric acid with a high purity sodium source and subsequent crystallization or spray drying. In Europe MSC is listed as a generally permitted food additive and may be added to all foodstuffs, following the "quantum satis" principle, as long as no special regulation restricts the use. Like the emulsifying salt trisodium citrate, it can be labelled as E 331 or sodium citrate. Jungbunzlauer had worked on several projects in its Ladenburg, Germany Application Technology Centre in the past, using different food additives for processed cheese applications. Especially trisodium citrate dihydrate is very well known for its emulsifying properties in processed cheese. However, compared to this, the use of monosodium citrate is hardly known to the dairy industry so far. Due to its intermediate position between citric acid and the slightly alkaline trisodium citrate, the concept is to combine the commonly used acidifying agent citric acid as well as the emulsifying salt in one ingredient. This may play a role in meeting the customers’ demand for cleaner label of food products. Based on our existing data on sodium and potassium citrates as emulsifying salts in processed cheese, we are planning basic trials within 2020 in our Application Technology Center in Germany using monosodium citrate as is and in combination with trisodium citrate. This will generate first own data concerning the ability to function as emulsifying agent and assessment of the performance incl. sensory in processed cheese formulations and benchmarking against typical formulations using phosphate salts. These trials will help us to understand the technological behaviour of monosodium citrate, provide supportive data to clients and recommendations for suitable recipes and processed cheese products. We target to have both recipes which contain no added phosphate as well as are shorter because the usual addition of acid can be replaced by the two-in-one MSC acid & emulsifying salt. There are first indications that this concept is relevant for the market. Best case we can initiate a customer project at any stage of our project to include specific market and recipe requirements.