Sodium Alginate in Food Industry
As a thickener of beverages and dairy products, Sodium Alginate has unique advantages in thickening: good fluidity of sodium alginate makes the added drinks taste smooth; And it can prevent the viscosity drop in the process of product disinfection. When using sodium alginate as thickener, try to use products with large molecular weight and add appropriate amount of calcium. It can greatly improve the viscosity of sodium alginate.
Sodium alginate is a high-grade stabilizer for ice cream and other cold drinks. It can make ice cream and other cold drinks produce smooth appearance and smooth taste. Since sodium alginate can form stable thermal irreversible gel, there will be no ice crystal growth and ice cream deformation caused by temperature fluctuations during transportation and storage; At the same time, the ice cream has no peculiar smell when eaten, which not only improves the expansion rate but also improves the melting point, so that the product quality and efficiency are significantly improved. The product tastes smooth, delicate and good. The addition amount is low, generally 1-3% or 5-10% depending on the process.
As a stabilizer of dairy products and beverages, sodium alginate can make dairy products have a good taste, no sense of stickiness and stiffness. It is sticky and sluggish when stirred.
Sodium alginate is used as a thickener for salad dressing, pudding, jam, tomato paste and canned products to improve the stability of products and reduce liquid leakage.
Adding sodium alginate to bread, pastry and other products can improve the homogeneity of internal tissues and water holding capacity of products, and prolong the storage time. Adding a thermal fusion protective layer to the frozen dessert products can improve the fragrance escape and the melting point performance.
Sodium alginate can be made into various gel foods to maintain good colloidal form without seepage or shrinkage, and is suitable for frozen food and artificial imitation food. It can also be used to cover fruits, meat, poultry and aquatic products as a protective layer, without direct contact with the air, so as to extend the storage time. It can also be used as the sugar coating of bread, filling filler, coating layer of dim sum, canned food, etc. The original shape can still be maintained in high temperature, freezing and acidic medium. It can also replace agar to make elastic, non sticky, transparent crystal soft candy.
