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Entry posted Yesterday by Stacy VanDenHeuvel
Gums can provide more dietary fiber than oat or wheat bran, while also improving the texture, look, and ‘feel’ of our favorite foods
WHITE MARSH, MD – September 1, 2010 – The texture, the look, and the ‘feel’ of the foods we love benefit from the use of gums, but these gums also give food an added health bonus -- fiber.
Gums add soluble dietary fiber to a range of foods and beverages and most gums are 80% soluble dietary fiber, providing more soluble fiber than oats, wheat bran, and other better-known fiber sources.
“Fiber is the hidden health benefit of gums,” says Dr. Mar Nieto, senior principal scientist at TIC Gums, the industry leader in advanced hydrocolloids and gum systems.
“You can see, for example, that a particular food is, say, smooth, rich, and creamy, and that texture is the result of using gums. However, the benefit you can’t see is that these gums also add soluble dietary fiber essential to our overall health.”
Medical and nutrition experts agree that dietary fiber, particularly soluble fiber, promotes a healthy cardiovascular system and helps to maintain blood sugar and cholesterol levels within normal limits. Soluble dietary fiber has also been shown to help maintain a healthy intestinal tract.
The importance of fiber has prompted more than half of Americans to increase their consumption of whole grain foods in the last five years, yet while adults should consume between 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day, the average American consumes only 14 to 15 grams.
“It shouldn’t come as a shock that consumers expect healthful paybacks from the foods they already consume regularly,” says Dr. Nieto. “They’re not likely to take supplements and aren’t willing to sacrifice taste for perceived health benefits. This means each ingredient should be multifunctional.”
When it comes to gums, that functionality is built in. And since gums are in a wide range of prepared foods – from barbecue sauce to ice cream, from salad dressing to cheese – “chances are consumers are getting some of the fiber they need, largely without even knowing it,” says Dr. Nieto.
For more information on gums and fiber, visit http://www.ticgums.com/innovation-center/soluble-fiber.html.
- Entry posted Jun 29 by Stacy VanDenHeuvel
TIC Gums spoke about our historical and continuing commitment to food safety. This commitment is manifest in the safety and quality of each of our products, throughout our culture, and in our continuing drive for improvement and validation of our existing food safety systems. One of the many ways we validate and enact improvement of these systems is through 3rd party audit programs. Earlier this year we decided to pursue the Safe Quality Food (SQF) Certification, one of the most cutting edge, inclusive, and difficult certifications for a food manufacturer to obtain. SQF differs from previous audit requirements (AIB, GMA-SAFE, etc.) in that this is not a once-per-year audit, but instead an inclusive food safety and quality management system. The audit is not a snapshot in time but a health check of the underlying processes that ensure the safety and quality of our products. Three months later I am so very proud to report that we not only achieved this certification, but achieved it at the highest possible degree (scheme 2000, Level 3) with a score of 99.25%! Achieving this certification validated the effectiveness of our existing processes and, what’s more, required us to re-think some of our previous assumptions and continue to improve our overall food safety and quality processes.
- Entry posted May 3 by Stacy VanDenHeuvel
TIC GUMS’ TICALOID® SAUCIER PROVIDES HIGH PERFORMANCE STABILIZING AND ENHANCEMENT IN SAUCE APPLICATIONS
The thickening, suspension and cling attributes that the world’s greatest chefs strive to achieve
White Marsh MD, April 28, 2010 - TIC Gums has introduced Ticaloid® Saucier, which was specifically designed through the collaborative expertise of TIC Gums’ Gum Gurus®. “Our combined efforts demonstrate that a vast range of sauce products can be significantly improved by using Ticaloid Saucier as a stabilizer,” said Coki Fisseha, a Culinary Scientist at TIC Gums.
Fisseha said that in addition to Ticaloid Saucier’s ability to do a better job in stabilizing sauces, the TIC Gums innovation can provide better emulsifying, thickening and suspension. She also placed a strong emphasis on Ticaloid Saucier’s ability to enhance the cling factor. “The succulent sensation of ‘cling’ enhances the enjoyment of sauce and sauce-type products,” she said. “Consumers take delight in sauces that complement meat, poultry and vegetarian entrees and side dishes. This ‘cling’ factor creates a highly valued, complex sensory perception, greatly adding to their pleasure.”
Factors that drive consumer desire for better tasting sauces and sauce type products
Marketing Specialist Stacy VanDenHeuvel cited two factors that support the advantage of formulations that deliver improved sauces and sauce-type products. She cited a 2009 Mintel report that demonstrated steady growth in ethnic foods since 2004, pointing out that sauces play an important role in driving ethnic food product choices.
“Mintel forecasts a solid growth of almost 20% in ethnic foods from 2010 to 2014, and reports a $2.2 billion record high in ethnic food products in 2009. These data indicate that there is real opportunity for the manufacturers of ethic food products to improve their lines of products where sauces can count as real differentiators,” she said.
VanDenHeuvel underscored this factor by mentioning a Food Marketing Institute finding that in 2009, 85% of consumers said they were eating home cooked meals more than three times a week, up from 75% in 2006. “The economy has brought consumers back to the kitchen and they are going to the supermarket a lot more than they are frequenting expensive restaurants. Consumers are looking for the sauces that will give their home cooked meals those highly preferred ethnic tastes in both gourmet and home-style categories.”
Suited to a vast range of applications
It was further explained that TIC Gums’ Ticaloid Saucier was tested in a variety of sauce types, including standard brown, tomato, chicken, barbecue and grilling sauces as well as in marinades. “Our Gum Gurus have a real understanding of what the world’s greatest chefs look for in the sauces they create. Our goal was to provide better stabilization and create sauces that are thick while smooth, and provide cling yet balanced texture - and that is exactly what we were able to achieve,” concluded Fisseha.
For more information about TIC Gums’ Ticaloid Saucier, contact a Gum Guruat our technical services hotline, (800) 899-3953, or visit www.ticgums.com.
- Entry posted Apr 27 by Stacy VanDenHeuvel
Three new blends deliver creamier, thicker texture for more satisfying traditional and nutritional dairy applications
TIC Gums announces the immediate availability of stabilizers for protein beverages that provide benefits in a wide range of dairy and alternative formulations. "Our Gum Gurus® have innovated three ingredients specifically created for pasteurized milk products, chocolate and alternative protein beverages. These stabilizers improve texture, providing thick, mouth coating sensations while also overcoming the formulation challenges of healthier beverages," said Donna Klockeman, dairy food scientist.
Klockeman cited the benefits of TIC Pretested® Colloid 760 MB Powder, Dairyblend MB2 and Ticaloid® 875. She explained that after extensive testing of each of these stabilizing ingredients in TIC Gums' state-of-the-art applications and pilot plant facilities in White Marsh, Maryland, it was determined that they are compatible with the range of other ingredients used in most traditional dairy and functional alternative protein beverage applications.
TIC Pretested Colloid 760 MB Powder: a unique stabilizer blend for pasteurized chocolate milk and other dairy products
Colloid 760 MB Powder is ideal for pasteurized chocolate milk products while it can also be utilized to increase body and creamy texture in variegating syrup, eggnog and buttermilk. This process stable ingredient provides excellent cocoa and flavor suspension in pasteurized products.
Dairyblend MB2: based on proprietary Dairyblend technology
Dairyblend MB2 was developed to stabilize chocolate dairy and milk beverages, especially those that require challenging UHT processes. Dairyblend MB2 has been tested in TIC Gums' dairy applications and pilot plant facilities and provides slightly added viscosity while giving suspension to cocoa in UHT processed finished beverages.
Ticaloid 875
The Ticaloid 875 gum system was specially developed for use in protein fortified products, including those that are identified as 95% organic. This ingredient successfully interacts with milk and soy protein ingredients, imparting viscosity and body. It has synergistic properties with starch also making it suitable for puddings and functional alternative protein beverages where thick and creamy characteristics are desirable.
Klockeman concluded, "The continuing demand for healthier dairy products and alternatives that do not compromise the creamy texture of traditional products is an excellent rationale for reformulating products with one of our stabilizers for protein beverages. Our Gum Gurus® are available to work with customers in the development of new or improved product formulations that take advantage of these new ingredients."
- Entry posted Feb 15 by Stacy VanDenHeuvel
Take a moment and think about your last product development project. What percentage of your effort was spent designing the flavor system? Now, what percentage of time was spent deliberately designing the texture? I’ll bet there’s a significant difference between the two. If so, you’re not alone. I’ve had a lot of conversations with product developers over the past few years and the responses have been similar. So, before your lift a beaker to start your next project, I encourage you to think through your texture targets up front, and how you’ll achieve them. Just like your favorite (and least favorite) foods, I’m pretty sure it’s combination of flavor and texture that’s driving your reaction.
- Entry posted Jan 19 by Stacy VanDenHeuvel
As we approach the new decade, the culinary trends of 2010 bring back some of the classics such as bacon as well as new exciting flavors like rose water. The upcoming year is all about simplicity packed with flavor. Ethnic flavors like those of Latin America, India, and North Africa are among the most popular trends. I'm excited to play around with different flavors and recipes that would complement the cooking trends of the coming year. A sizzling chicken burger with grilled papaya and bacon or even a warm goat cheese and spinach salad tossed in a light rose water poppy seed dressing makes me look forward to the New Year.
If these trends intrigue you and you would like to know more - especially how gums can be integrated, contact me, Coki Fisseha, culinary scientist, at cfisseha@ticgums.com.
- Entry posted 12/21/09 by Stacy VanDenHeuvel
Coat your berries while they are still frozen with our TIC Pretested® Colloid 911 to prevent weeping, especially in muffins or other baked goods. As the berries thaw the water and gum form a protective glaze. To use, sprinkle 1.5-3.0%, based on the weight of the berries. You can see from the photo that the berries retain their shape and your baked good retains its color. To save your own berries order a sample to see for yourself from http://ticgums.com/Product.asp?ID=41
- Entry posted 12/1/09 by Stacy VanDenHeuvel
Our Gum Gurus® are often asked if we offer a 100% organic xanthan - the answer is because xanthan gum is an exopolysaccharide from the organism Xanthamonas campestris and is alcohol precipitated to make the finished powdered form - it cannot be manufactured as 100% organic. However, to meet your needs we offer our Ticaxan® Xanthan GMO-Free which can be used in finished products bearing the 95% organic ingredient label. We offer many organic products that can be labeled as 100% organic and we are authorized to operate under the Maryland Department of Agriculture's Organic Certification Program.
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Recent Comments
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- Greg Piche on Almost PerfectJul 13: Awesome. Congratulations Stacy!
- Greg Piche on Stabilizers for Protein BeveragesApr 27: Great post! I'm sharing this with our Foods division.
- Stacy VanDenHeuvel on Culinary Trends for 2010Jan 21: I have seen a lot of truffle items too. We didn't make it to the Fancy...
- Jan 20: Bacon has definitely gotten big in the last few years. I was at the...
- Greg Piche on Save your Berries12/21/09: Great post (exactly the correct use of the blog feature!) and cool...
- Stacy VanDenHeuvel on Xanthan Gum for 95% Organic12/2/09: Bella, Thanks for the comment. It will depend on the destination of...
- Bella on Xanthan Gum for 95% Organic12/1/09: Thanks for the information. What is the need is just for natural and...