Hydrocolloid | 5, 10, 15 year Subscription option |
Image | Description |
Agar |
5 year-Subscription Form
TOC Example |
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The two key grades of agar are produced from either gelidium or
gracilaria seaweed. Morocco is the main source of gelidium seaweed
and gelidium agar. Gracilaria seaweed and agar are produced in Chile,
Indonesia and Japan. Consumption of gelidium agar is focused in the
pharma bacteriological plates although there is some use in food.
Gracilaria agar is mainly used in food and often sold as a single
ingredient for home use in Asia. Consumer image very good. |
Alginate |
5 year-Subscription Form
TOC Example |
| Sodium alginate and propylene glycol alginate (PGA) are widely used in
food and industrial applications. The calcium gelling reaction is used in many
food applications, the classic of which is the red pimento strip in green olives.
Sodium alginate is also used as thickener in sauces, syrups and toppings for ice
cream. In modernist cuisine (molecular gastronomy), the reaction with calcium is
used to producesmall caviar-like and large spheres with liquid inside that burst
in the mouth. Consumer label image is good when associated with seaweed but poor
if propylene glycol alginate is declared. |
Carrageenan |
5 year-Subscription Form
TOC Example |
| Extracted from red edible seaweeds. Widely used in the food industry, for their gelling,
thickening, and stabilizing properties. Their main application is in dairy and meat products,
due to their strong binding to food proteins. Indonesia and the Philippines are two main producers
of the warm water seaweed used to produce carrageenan. Chile, Norway and many other parts of the
world produce cold water seaweed for carrageenan production. A controversy over the safety of
carrageenan has been soundly refuted by many studies and many regulatory bodies. The use of
carrageenan or carrageenan containing seaweed in Ireland is centuries old.
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CMC |
5 years-Subscription Form
TOC Example |
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Derivative from wood pulp or cotton linters. Many differentiated grades available depending
on degree of substitution. Cotton derived CMC is subject to association with GMO raw materials.
Widely used in food, pharmaceutical, detergents and personal care items. Oilfield applications
are large when the oil drilling industry is active. Approved declaration in US and EU is
"cellulose gum". |
Gum Arabic |
5 year-Subscription Form
TOC Example |
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Probably one of the oldest of gums. Known to be used in ancient Egypt several millenia ago.
Sudan remains the major exporter of raw material. Two main grades are used, one with strong
emulsifying capabilities (acacia senegal) and one without (acacia seyal). The emulsifying
grade is widely used by the flavor and beverage industry. The other grade often serves as
a source of soluble dietary fiber. Industrial applications, such as lithographic printing,
have slowly been supplanted by synthetic products.
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Gelatin |
5 year-Subscription Form
TOC Example |
| Is the only animal product in the group- of hydrocolloids surveyed by IMR International.
Derived from beef hide, pork skin and/or beef bones. Production is globally diversified as are
food and industrial applications. The nutritional benefits of gelatin and collagen have gained
significant attention in recent years and have extended the market for gelatin and its derivatives.
After starch, gelatin volumes are the largest in the world of hydrocolloids. Consumer trends
towards vegetarian, kosher and halal certification have had little impact on the overall
consumption of gelatin worldwide. |
Gellan |
5 year-Subscription Form
TOC Example |
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Discovered and developed by Kelco, then division of Merck. Like xanthan, gellan is produced
through bacterial fermentation. At roughly $50-60/kg, it is the most expensive hydrocolloid surveyed
by IMR International. Even at these prices, gellan gum is cost effective in several applications and
has become a popular product. CP Kelco in the US, remains the only non-Chinese producer of gellan
gum. Surprisingly, no other western producers of xanthan have diversified into this other widely
used biopolymer. Two basic grades are offered, high acyl (HA) gellan gum and low acyl (LA) gellan
gum. |
Guar |
5 year-Subscription Form
TOC Example |
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One of the more cost effective of hydrocolloids. Produced mainly in India (Rajasthan and a few
other states) and Pakistan. Widely used in a number of food applications (60-80,000 tonnes per year).
The hydraulic fracking boom of 2011-2012, sucked up some 350-400,000 tonnes of guar and created a
severe shortage and spike in price. Since then, guar prices have returned to traditional levels of
about $1.20-1.50/kg. Guar is also used in several industrial applications and in pet food. |
LBG |
5 year-Subscription Form
TOC Example |
| Locust bean gum is a galactomannan vegetable gum extracted from the seeds of the
carob tree, mostly found in Spain, Italy and Morocco. The leading position of Spain
as a raw material supplier has slowly declined while Moroccan plantations of carob
trees bear an increasing portion of global supply. The cyclic nature of LBG
availability and price has been one of its major barriers to expansion.
Nevertheless, LBG remains a workhorse product in many food formulations.
A lower grade is used in pet food formulations. Synergistic effects with xanthan
gum provide gelling capabilities which neither hydrocolloid has on its own. Consumer
image, good to very good. Recognition of the carob pod dates back to biblical times.
Indeed, its name in German is Johannesbrotkernmehl (St. John's bread seed powder). |
MCC |
5 year-Subscription Form
TOC Example |
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Derived from the same grade of dissolving pulp (DP) used by producers of CMC and MC/HPMC.
Generally MCC is co-precipitated with CMC meaning that its use necessitates the declaration of
two ingredients on the label. It imparts a "creamy mouthfeel", making it particularly suitable
in reduced fat or no fat formulations. FMC is the leading producer, followed by Blanver of Brazil
and Rettenmaier of Germany. The non-colloidal grade of MCC has mainly pharmaceutical (tabletting)
applications but is not widely used in food. |
MC-HPMC |
5 year-Subscription Form
TOC Example |
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Extremely versatile range of hydrocolloids derived from dissolving grades of wood pulp or cotton
linter pulp. A unique feature is a thermally reversible gelation property, but there are many other
useful attributes to this wide range of hydrocolloids, not least of which as a source of soluble
dietary fiber. Label friendliness depends on whether it is labeled as "vegetable gum" or
"carbohydrate gum" (common and usual names recognized in the US). The full chemical name
on a label is not consumer friendly. |
Pectin |
5 year-Subscription Form
TOC Example |
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Traditionally, the raw material for pectin production is either citrus peel or apple pulp.
There have been some attempts to produce pectin from other raw materials such as sunflower seeds
or beets but none have become commercially successful, yet. Pectin from lemon or lime is preferred
but orange peel pectin is gaining market share. Apple pectin is less effective and not as neutral
in color. Pectin is one of the preferred hydrocolloids from a consumer friendliness viewpoint.
There has been a tightness in supply of raw material and capacity in 2015-2016. |
Tara |
Tara 5 years-Subscription Form
TOC Example |
| Tara is a small volume single country type of hydrocolloid. Total world production and
consumption has never exceeded 3,000 tonnes. Peru is the only known source of commercial
volumes. Tara is a galactomannan like guar and locust bean gum. The different ratio of
galactose vs mannose gives tara properties differentiated from guar and LBG. |
Xanthan |
5 year-Subscription Form
TOC Example |
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From its inception in the early 1970's xanthan gum has become a ubiquitous
hydrocolloid found in countless formulations. Produced by fermentation its
long term sustainability and large volume availability is assured. Kelco then
Division of Merck was the first to develop this hydrocolloid and for many years
the largest producer in the world. Chinese producers have since taken a dominant
position in this extremely versatile hydrocolloid. |