PRODUCTION
CHALLENGES
So, the plant-based movement
looks set to continue and consumers
want to add indulgent plantbased
frozen desserts to their
shopping lists. But how easy are
they to produce?
“It is very challenging, and it is
very different from producing dairy
ice cream,” says Li Ying. “Certain
plant proteins could contribute to
high mix viscosity resulting in production
difficulties.”
Marilyn adds: “However,
Palsgaard’s emulsifiers still work in
the same way as they do in dairy ice
creams so we can help manufacturers
to get the right texture. Another
good thing is that Palsgaard’s
emulsifiers are based on vegetable
oils, so it’s already plant-based and
therefore ideal for plant-based
products.”
PALSGAARD TO THE
RESCUE
Manufacturers of dairy-free frozen
desserts often find it difficult to
replicate the mouthfeel and texture
of standard ice cream, and this is
where Palsgaard can step in.
“We have a product, Palsgaard
ExtruIce 379, which is an integrated
blend of stabilisers and emulsifiers,
PLANT BASED DAIRY ALTERNATIVES 2021
and it’s perfect for frozen desserts,”
explains Li Ying.
“Palsgaard ExtruIce 379 provides
very stable emulsions for the
whole system, so it prevents ice
crystal formation, and it also helps
to give a creamier mouthfeel to
the frozen dessert as well. Another
benefit is that it can improve the
heat-shock stability.”
FOUR INSPIRING NEW
RECIPES
Li Ying and Marilyn have spent the
last few months experimenting with
different plant-based frozen dessert
recipes.
“Through the studies we did,
we can advise our customers better
on how they should prepare the
product, such as whether hydration
of the protein is required or
not,” explains Li Ying. “We can also
alert them to the challenges they
might face and how to solve them.
We can do this because we experienced
these issues first-hand while
working with various plant-based
proteins.
“The recipe creation process also
enabled us to try out our own
Palsgaard emulsifier blends and we
are now in a better position to give
advice to our customers.”
They now have four prototype recipes,
which show how adaptable
and valuable Palsgaard ExtruIce
379 is in enhancing texture, mouthfeel,
stability and other sensory
properties.
Recipe 1: Fava Bean
Based Frozen Dessert
The fava bean – or broad bean -
is a widely available plant-based
source of protein but it’s not one
many consumers will be familiar
with as an ingredient in a frozen
dessert.
Marilyn explains why it was chosen
as a base for one of the recipes.
“We were trying to study the
properties of different plant-based
proteins. We did various studies with
the fava bean, and it came up very
neutral in taste, which we saw as a
benefit for frozen dessert recipes.
“We wanted to work with ingredients
which offered a wide range
of different viscosity, and the fava
bean was actually the highest level
that we worked with.
“We wanted to make sure our
emulsifier and stabiliser blend
was strong enough and functional
enough to ensure there is no separation
in the frozen dessert mix and
during the churning with a high viscosity
protein base.”
The duo created two fava bean options,
one oat-based and one water
based.
“The oat-based one is creamier,
but the use of oat also contributes
to the viscosity,” Marilyn explains.
“We used two different bases to
demonstrate that there will be a
difference in the mouthfeel depending
on whether you use water
Li Ying Chua (left) and Marilyn Tan are Application Technologists with Palsgaard
Asia-Pacific and have spent the last few months developing the four recipe
concepts.
September/October 2021 ¦ international-dairy.com · 9
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