IDM ¦ Ingredients
28 · May 2020 ¦ international-dairy.com
Sisterna
Sucrose esters in dairy drinks
Author: Lia Bax, Product & Salesmanager Food, Sisterna B.V., The Netherlands
Sisterna sucrose esters are
emulsifiers with unique and
powerful functionalities. Not
only are they very effective oilin
water emulsifiers, they also
interact with proteins, which protects
proteins from coagulation. These are
just of few of the numerous benefits of
using Sisterna sucrose esters.
In the area of dairy drinks there are
three different products that we can focus
on for sucrose esters: beta-glucan
milk drink, milk alternatives and powdered
hot drink.
Beta-glucan milk drink
Beta-glucans (β-glucans) are polysaccharides
that can be found in oats and
barley. They are recognised by the European
Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
as being capable of reducing disease
risk. The FDA has endorsed claims that
foods with soluble fibre from whole
oats may reduce heart disease risk.
Addition of beta-glucan to milk is
known to produce destabilisation. The
flocculation is most probably due to a
weak interaction between beta-glucan
molecules, or beta-glucan micelles, and
kappa casein.
When beta-glucan is heated in milk,
the milk flocculates almost immediately.
This flocculation can be prevented
by using Sisterna SP70 in a dosage of
0.3%. The best results are achieved
when SP70 is heated in milk before beta
glucan is added. When SP70 and beta
glucan are added at the same time,
the dosage of SP70 needs to be higher
to achieve equivalent stability (0.5% instead
of 0.3%)
Addition of sugar and flavour
makes it possible to produce a tasty
milk drink. The texture of this drink is
comparable to yoghurt drink, due to
the effect of beta-glucan on the viscosity.
Sucrose esters have hardly any effect
on the viscosity.
Milk alternatives
There are various reasons for replacing
dairy milk with a plant-based alternative:
lactose intolerance, veganism, animal
welfare and environmental concerns.
Milk alternatives have become increasingly
popular in recent years. They may
be based on soy, rice, coconut and several
types of nuts, seeds and grains.
Emulsifying
Dairy milk contains a high level of proteins
(roughly 3%), which are natural
emulsifiers in milk. Plant-based milks,
with the exception of soy, generally
contain far less protein. Most plant
material (e.g. nuts and seeds) that is
ground to make milk alternatives contain
oil. In other cases, oil is added
(e.g. for rice and grain milk). In liquid
products the use of a powerful oil-inwater
emulsifier is crucial to ensure a
stable emulsion for the whole shelf life.
Sucrose esters are very powerful oil-inwater
emulsifiers, that can help to keep
milk alternatives stable for a long time.
Particles
Besides emulsifying oil and fat, sucrose
esters also seem to be able to “emulsify”
fatty particles. Sucrose esters have
the ability to keep the particles of cocoa
and almonds longer in suspension,
and slow down their sedimentation in
a drink. We do not see this effect in
oat drink. Probably the fat content of a
particle plays a role.
Protection
There is a third benefit to use sucrose
esters in milk alternatives. Sisterna sucrose
esters are known for their interaction
with various sources of protein.
This interaction makes proteins less
sensitive to coagulation due to acid,
heat, shear or destabilising components
like alcohol or beta-glucan.
Although the protein level of milk alternatives
is generally low (0.2 – 1.0%
(soy milk 3 - 4%)), flocculation can deteriorate
the appearance of the drink.
Just like caseinate, proteins of most milk
alternatives have an iso-electric point –
the pH at which the proteins have the
same charge, making it possible to move
towards each other, and coagulate.
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