PLANT BASED DAIRY ALTERNATIVES 2022
Author: Verena Klaus,
Strategic Category Management,
BioIngredients at WACKER
such as volume, stability and texture.
The model systems used in this
study included ultra-high temperature
treated milk and dairy and nondairy
powder formulations with varying
fat content alongside different
plant-based milk alternatives. Foam
was created either by steam injection
or by using a milk frother.
Foam Remains Stable
for Longer
The addition of alpha-cyclodextrin
to different model systems significantly
improved the foaming
capacity, i.e. the amount of foam
generated. The addition of 1.4%
alpha-cyclodextrin nearly doubled
the overrun in a medium-fat dairy
powder formulation (Figure 1). The
same amount of an inert linear oligosaccharide
18 · September/October 2022 ¦ international-dairy.com
(maltodextrin), used
as a reference, caused only a slight
increase in the overrun due to the
increase in dry matter – not comparable
to the substantial increase
achievable by alpha-cyclodextrin.
Alongside the positive effect on foam
volume, alpha-cyclodextrin also has
other benefits. It retards foam degradation
reactions (Ostwald ripening,
drainage, coalescence, deformation
and bubble creaming) and
therefore positively influences the
foam stability. The half-life time, as
experts refer to the time taken for
the foam volume to reduce by half,
can be increased considerably by
the addition of alpha-cyclodextrin
– from 3 to 15 minutes in the tested
powder toppings (Figure 2). This
provides food service restaurants
with a longer period during which
the tea or coffee drink can be served
with an attractive topping.
The explanation for the foam-enhancing
effects: alpha-cyclodextrin
has a hydrophilic exterior and a lipophilic
cavity. This lipophilic cavity can
form inclusion complexes with milk
constituents such as triglycerides
via non-covalent interactions. These
can control the convergence of the
liquid phase, stabilizing the foam
structure. Hydrogen bonds between
the exterior part of the alpha-cyclodextrin
and long-chain molecules,
such as proteins, make the system
more viscous and therefore positively
influence the foaming properties
of the matrix.
Improved Mouthfeel
and Taste
Specialty coffee and tea drinks
have meanwhile evolved into lifestyle
products. Hence, baristas and
consumers also place a great deal
of importance on the appearance
of the foam which should look nicely
creamy with fine, homogenously distributed
pores. The technical experts
at WACKER were able to demonstrate
that 1% of alpha-cyclodextrin
already significantly improves the
pore structure and mouthfeel of almond
milk foam correlating with a
more full-bodied impression of the
drink.
Test setup to
measure foam
firmness by texture
profile analysis.
(photo: WACKER)
/international-dairy.com
