of fat globules, allowing them to come together and form a
3-D network that traps air bubbles. This improves shape and
mouthfeel.
“On a day to day basis, we’ll be helping ice cream manufacturers
solve common technical challenges,” Marilyn says.
“Whether they need good meltdown, heat shock stability,
shape retention or creamy mouthfeel, we’ll go through our
range of emulsifiers and recommend the right one.”
One of the big advantages of the company’s products for ice
cream – such as the Palsgaard ExtruIce and Palsgaard Mould-
Ice ranges – is that they are fully integrated blends. This ensures
an accurate proportion of emulsifiers and stabilisers to be
dosed every time, and also allows dust-free handling. “They’re
not just dry blends so there’s no dusting and there’s a homogeneous
ratio between the emulsifier and the hydrocolloids,”
Marilyn explains. It’s easier to use because manufacturers don’t
need to pre-blend with sugars. They can put them straight into
the milk or water so there’s no lumping during mixing.”
New tara gum blends – Cost-effective,
high-performing, lean-label
“LBG has been common in ice cream for many years, but it’s
highly susceptible to price fluctuation, and a lot of manufacturers
want to be less reliant on it,” she explains. “We wanted
to help customers find an alternative that wouldn’t change
their product profile too much. Tara gum came into the picture
because it’s from the same family, but the cost is lower.”
Through extensive testing, Palsgaard has found that tara
gum performs as well as, or better than, LBG. “Structurally, it’s
actually very similar”, she says. “We’ve tested it in a controlled
meltdown chamber; the amount of melted ice cream is very
small, and the shape retention is excellent. During churning,
the product mix is stable, and the over-run is similar to what
you get with locust bean gum. We’ve also realised that we can
achieve a very low mix viscosity, which is something a lot of
customers need.”
The new blends are in line with many current consumer
demands – they are free from PHOs and can be used in vegan
products. They also have benefits for manufacturers who want
to shorten their ingredient lists. “Another thing that’s good
about it is that it only contains two or three E-numbers,” Marilyn
says. “Ice cream tends to have a long list of ingredients, so
if customers are looking for a leaner label, this is a very good
product to introduce.”
The new trends shaping ice cream markets
A big part of Marilyn’s job is studying market trends to identify
new product concepts that might be of interest to customers.
Unsurprisingly, 2020 has seen new interest in ingredients associated
with immune health. There’s demand for ginger, turmeric
and matcha – even in ice cream. “The idea of those
kinds of ingredients is actually really well accepted, as long as
the flavours work,” she says. “Also, making ice cream seem
healthier is popular because it gives people permission to indulge!”
While eating ice cream may not offer significant immunity
benefits, Palsgaard can certainly help manufacturers create
products that are better-for-you in other respects. For example,
Ingredients ¦ IDM
Palsgaard's new cost-effective emulsifier and tara gum
blends can be used for moulded and extruded ice creams
(photo: Palsgaard)
she has recently developed recipes for ice creams that are
lower in calories, and one which uses low-GI brown sugar instead
of white sugar.
As well as health, another topic coming up more in conversations
with customers is the environment – a major focus for
Palsgaard, which recently became the first emulsifier producer
to achieve carbon-neutral production. “We’re always reminding
customers that our products are produced in CO2-neutral
facilities,” she says. “That’s definitely a big thing, especially in
Australia and New Zealand, where it’s clear that consumers are
willing to pay a bit more for sustainability.”
Marilyn says growing focus on sustainability is also a key
driver for another huge trend. “More people are going vegan
or dairy-free, so we’ve been doing a lot of work on plantbased
ice creams. What makes that interesting is that there are
so many sources of plant-based ‘milks’ – almond, rice, coconut
for example. I’m quite sure that the plant-based trend will be
here for many years. But a few years ago, who knew it would
be so big? That’s one of the things I enjoy. Every day there’s a
new trend – and a new challenge.”
September/October 2021 ¦ international-dairy.com · 9
/international-dairy.com
