Gums and modified starch have strong adhesive properties and can therefore replace oil and sugar for powder toppings on crackers, in turn reducing fat content, finds research.
Guar gum prices have dropped a long way from peaks of $20 to $25 a kilo – but there is now a standoff between buyers and sellers, according to hydrocolloids industry expert Dennis Seisun.
Guar gum could be relisted on India’s futures market if a positive committee decision is reached next week, according to the country’s commodity markets regulator.
US ingredients firm Glanbia Nutritionals has added a new flax-based guar gum replacer to its hydrocolloid range that will save bakery manufacturers up to 40% on costs amid continued soaring guar prices.
Specialty ingredients supplier DSM has developed a four-page toolkit that champions using an enzyme and yeast cell wall blend to complete replacement of guar gum in bakery products.
Amid sky-high prices and shortages of guar gum driven by an unprecedented surge in demand, food formulators have renewed focus on finding replacers and DuPont is championing use of alternative hydrocolloids.
Tight supply and high prices in guar gum are set to continue until at least the end of 2012, and probably beyond, claims a leading hydrocolloid industry analyst.
A texture and stabilisation formula for bakery products can be used as an alternative to guar gum, according to texture and stabilisation firm TIC gums.
There is no end in sight to the current guar gum shortage and record high prices for the hydrocolloid, which may prompt some manufacturers to consider reformulation, according to Euromonitor International.
The addition of thickeners and stabilisers such as guar gum could help to boost the usage chestnut flour in gluten free breads, according to new research.
There has been no let up in the soaring prices for guar gum, with little hope of a downward trend emerging in the coming months, warns a hydrocolloid expert.
Restrictions on guar gum imported from India into the EU have been revised on fears that the risk of dioxin contamination of the product remains too high.
Food makers must be on the alert for contaminated consignments of guar gum after Czech authorities detect unacceptable levels of toxic dioxins in a border batch.
Hydrocolloids can be added to tortilla formulations containing bean
flour to extend the product's shelf life and improve texture while
increasing its nutritional content, say researchers.
Scientists in Finland suggest that carbohydrates released into
process waters of softwood mills could offer the food industry with
a novel source of mannans to rival guar gum and friends.
With the market for certified organic products continuing to grow,
demand for organic hydrocolloids has also expanded - prompting the
leading supplier of hydrocolloids to the US food industry to launch
an organic version of its guar...
