Biogums – Hydrocolloids from local raw materials

Foods and drinks are only truly delicious when they have the right texture. Watery sauces, sandy ice creams, runny ketchup, or skin forming on top of chocolate milk – all of these have one thing in common: the wrong use of hydrocolloids.

Hydrocolloids are highly versatile and can be used to adjust the product rheology to meet all kinds of requirements. The thickening agents are therefore a popular choice for improving mouthfeel, stabilizing particles, or even optimizing costs. 

One of the specialized areas of our supply partner Jungbunzlauer is hydrocolloids produced by fermentation, otherwise known as biogums. The biogums xanthan and gellan are produced by Jungbunzlauer in Austria under the highest quality and sustainability standards. 

Xanthan Gum

Xanthan gum (E415) is a highly efficient thickener and a strong stabilizer. Xanthan gum can be used in the production of a wide variety of food and drink to stabilize turbidity or optimize mouthfeel, for example.

Xanthan gum can be stirred in hot or cold and, unlike many other hydrocolloids, does not require any activation by shearing or heating. When used alone, xanthan gum forms pseudo-gels. These pseudo-gels offer the following advantages:

• high stability in different pH and temperature ranges
• pseudoplastic behaviour: viscosity is temporarily reduced when mechanical energy is applied. Which means: better pumpability and easier filling as well as easier dosing of products from tubes, bottles, and sprays 
• increased viscosity at low salt concentrations
• synergistic increase in viscosity with guar gum, locust bean gum, and konjac glucomannan

These synergies can be used to reduce the amount of hydrocolloid needed and thereby save costs. When combined with locust bean gum and konjac glucomannan, xanthan gum forms a real gel.

Jungbunzlauer has developed various xanthan gum product types for all possible applications. Apart from particle size, these xanthan gum types also differ in terms of

• rheology
• dust formation
• acidification
• salt tolerance 
• opacity/transparency 

Gellan Gum

Jungbunzlauer’s gellan gum (Taya Gel^®) is used especially as a stabilizer in plant-based dairy alternatives. Gellan gum (E418) stabilizes dispersed particles at concentrations of 0.03–0.05% without affecting mouthfeel. In high concentrations, gellan gum forms soft, cuttable gels.

These soft, cuttable gels are comparable to those made from xanthan/locust bean gum mixtures. In contrast to xanthan gum, gellan gum is only soluble in hot water and is activated by heating. The temperature required for this is about 70–80 °C. 

Given these properties, gellan gum is popularly used:

• in flavoured milk drinks and dairy products
• in plant-based dairy alternatives
• as a particle stabilizer in sauces, creams, dressings, and drinks

In our download section you will find a first inspiration for the presented products.

Feel free to contact us if you have any specific questions or would like technical support.