Improvers of spreads and margarines

Improvers of spreads and margarines

The range of butter produced in Ukraine has been changed significantly . The production of low-fat butter is growing and particularly the production of the products with a combined fat composition: spreads actively grows. It has become possible due to the difficult economic situation in milk production, and increasing demand for the creation of healthy foods with lower calorie and cholesterol.

Despite significant changes in the composition of these products compared to classic butter, the requirements for their consistency and structural-mechanical characteristics remain unchanged. The consistency of the oil at 12 ± 2 ° C must be dense, uniform surface and dry, glossy on cut. Oil and spreads should maintain good form at room temperature (20-30 ° C), easily spread on bread, with no loosing of plasticity during freezing and subsequent thawing.

In order to ensure the requested quality parameters of products it is required to use emulsifiers. The emulsifiers reduce the surface tension at the interface, speed up the process of butter formation and improve the structure of the finished product.

Company Elektrogazochem has made a lot of research work of the functional and technological properties of emulsifiers produced by the company in the production of butter, low fat spreads and margarines.

We have developed the technological instructions for use of emulsifiers and stabilizers of the company Elektrogazochem for production of spreads (TU U 15.5-22942814.2006), as well as schemes for preparation and insertion them at various manufacturing technologies.

We produce more than 20 types of emulsifiers, stabilizers and other auxiliary substances, which are cheaper than foreign analogues, and its quality characteristics correspond to the best world analogues. For their production the high-quality domestic and foreign raw materials are used.

All the products are manufactured according to the specifications approved in the prescribed manner. The products have been passed the hygienic examination at the Institute of Hygiene and Medical Ecology. All regulatory documents and all the products are certified (The hygienic conclusions of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine).

The company owns a modern research and production base, which allows to develop and produce high quality products in quantities sufficient to meet the demands of the food industry in Ukraine.

The company's strategy is integrated approach, designed to achieve a combination of attractive appearance of the finished product with the required texture that is peculiar to etalon criteria of a particular type of product.

Experience in development of the company Elektrogazochem is based on the integrated usage of the properties of the raw materials used for production, and functional features of produced emulsifiers and structure's stabilizers.

It allows us not only to offer the improvement of products consistency produced by traditional technological schemes, but also to create new products with specified consumer properties upon customer's request .

Recent years, a prior direction in the food industry is the development of resource-saving technologies. The technologies allow to save the traditional raw materials, increasing the yield of the final product, expanding its range, and adjusting the food and biological value, caloric value of foods.

Directional regulation of formulation allowed to expand the range of combined products. New varieties of such products can be divided into 2 types. The type where emulsifiers and structure's stabilizers for manufacture and type of spreads and margarines are not used, and composition incorporated the structure-forming products. Both directions have obtained the development in Ukraine.

For improving the quality of spreads (butter combined with the fat phase) emulsifiers and structure's stabilizers are suggested to use. To this end, the company Elektorgazochem manufactures a full range of such emulsifiers as ESTER P solid and liquid; Ester T (Stearic acid triglyceride); Polyglycerol polyricinoleate and others.

Usage of emulsifiers allows replacing dairy fat with vegetable or with dairy fat substitutes in arbitrary proportions. Emulsifiers and stabilizers of fat systems are universal and can be combined with any type of animal and vegetable oils. Optionally they can be made either in solid or in liquid form. In use emulsifiers significantly improves consistency of spreads and margarines.

Their consistency is one of the key indicators of quality. It depends on the product structure, the amount of the solid phase, the shape and size of crystals, triglyceride composition of the fat content, the air, and the degree of mechanical processing and modes of storage.

In prolonged storage the stability of spreads and margarines are closely related to consistence, in particular the degree of dispersion of the product moisture.

Highly dispersed distribution of plasma and air contributes to long-term preservation of high consumer characteristics by impeding the development of microflora.

A high degree of dispersion of moisture and air in such products can only be achieved by using emulsifiers and structure’s stabilizers.

Surface oxidation of spreads, low fat butters and margarines worsens the appearance, taste and smell of food.

The defect manifests by forming the translucent layer on the product which has specific odor and unpleasant bitter and sometimes sickly and pungent taste, which are estimated as rotten or musty.

Color of spreads in this layer is darker than the rest of the product. Defect forming is accompanied by a sharp increase the acidity of the plasma and fat, as well as the peroxide values.

The defect caused by polymerization of glycerides and dairy fat oxidation as a result of growth of the proteolytic and psychrotrophic bacteria and dehydration.

Catalysts of the emergence of the defect are the high content of unsaturated fatty acids in margarines and spreads, low resistance of packaging materials to penetration of fat, moisture and air, sunlight and violation of temperature storage's modes of food staff.

Soft (thermo unstable) spreads and margarines do not have sufficient strength. Such product has satisfactory consistency at temperature 5-6 ° C, and at 10-12 ° C. it becomes softer and stretches by knife (or spatula, probe). At 18-20 ° C it becomes excessively soft. The products are characterized by low thermal stability and ability to hold the liquid fat.

The company Elektrogazochem promotes the usage of manufactured emulsifiers for prevention of the emergence such defects as crumbly, cracking, layered, friable consistencies and defect of surface oxidation.

Emulsifier Ester P increases the plasticity, creates shiny, glossy texture of the product. Its usage prevents the appearance of the defects of crumbly, layered, friable consistency.

It perfectly mixes the oil with water, preventing the release of free moisture that is especially important in the producing of spreads and margarines. This emulsifier helps to reduce oxidation processes during storage, prevents the occurrence of the defect of the surface oxidation.

Emulsifier polyglycerol polyricinoleate provides the product a high degree of spreadability at sufficiently low temperatures and reduces presence in the product of several defects such as crumby, layered, friable texture.

To prevent generation of thermo unstable spreads, as well as to improve the thermal stability of the product during summer time it is recommended to use the stabilizer of structure - the triglyceride of stearic acid. The Triglyceride of stearic acid increases the strength of the crystal lattice of the product and contributes the retention of low-melting fat fractions. This allows to produce heat-resistant butter in summer time, which promotes preserving its trade dress.

In manufacture of spreads, low fat butter and margarines the emulsifiers should be introduced into the melted fat or high fat cream preheated to the temperature not lower than 60-65 ° C. After this the mixture emulsifies by an emulsifier or stirs for 10-15 minutes with maintaining the same temperature.

For the production of recombined cream or butter emulsifiers should be inserted consistently to the vat with a mixture of recovered high fat cream and vegetable oil at the temperature not lower than 65 ° C.

The mixture emulsifies for 15-20 minutes and then the process is carried out in accordance with the instruction for the production of spreads of recombined cream.

Typically, the emulsifiers are used in mixture. The quantity of each component is determined depending on the raw materials used and the specific production conditions in the manufacture. Usually one or more components are used simultaneously.

Usage of the emulsifiers in mixture is much efficient than separate usage, due to their optimum ratio in mixture and synergies arising from the interaction of components. Emulsifiers are introduced in amount from 2 to 5 kg per 1 ton of finished product.

The quantity of introduced triglyceride of stearic acid is not standardized and has to be defined by technological requirements which usually ranges from 1 to 7 kg.

Our company is always open for cooperation. We could not only manufacture and sell emulsifiers, but also provide highly skilled technological support to anyone who needs it.

Gureeva V.S.

Head of the department of Technology and Standardization

Scientific-Production Enterprise the company Elektrogazochem.