How to create stable all-purpose margarines without lecithin

Now Palsgaard was battling against the clock to develop lecithin-free products that could satisfy all these requirements. “Many of our customers operate in multiple locations, from Europe to Africa, with different recipes and process conditions for each region,” explains Hamed, “so we had to learn the effects of the process conditions and fat recipes on the functionality of the new product to be able to support everyone’s needs. We don’t want to produce anything that could create challenges for our customers – we sit in their chairs and think about what they need from us so we can supply the right product to them.”

Leaner, cleaner

With the increasing importance of leaner, cleaner labels, one of the development team’s goals was to streamline the raw ingredients in the new emulsifiers to just two E numbers.

“The first thing we did was make a product with citric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides [E472c], and mono- and diglycerides [E471]. After two months of intense experimentation, we came up with a completely lecithin-free recipe that worked well and was ready to be tested on customer sites. Another two months later, we were sending out samples, with many of our customers using them immediately.”

The results are Palsgaard® 0170, based on RSPO SG-certified palm oil, and Palsgaard® 0172, based on rapeseed. “Our RSPO SG-certified palm oil is readily available and has a far higher yield than sunflower or rapeseed, but for those who prefer to be palm-free, we have also created an option with rapeseed, which is cultivated widely in many regions, including Europe and Canada.”

Fulfilling rising demand

Would Palsgaard have produced lecithin-free emulsifiers if the Ukraine war hadn’t happened? “Yes,” affirms Hamed, “although development would have been slower, as it typically takes a year for a new product to come to market. The thing is, lecithin can’t provide all the functionality many manufacturers require, and not everyone wants to use it in any case, so we would have responded to the industry’s increasing demand for lecithin-free margarine emulsifiers even without the situation in Ukraine.

“For one thing, lecithin isn’t the strongest emulsifier, so it has to be used in relatively high ratios, which has a cost implication. It’s also naturally dark in colour, which can affect product appearance, whereas our lecithin-free products are white and therefore have no influence on margarine colour.

Another issue is that because lecithin contains some liquid oil, it can become a bit sticky in higher temperatures, which presents a handling problem. Our new products create a stable emulsion that doesn’t get sticky even in a warm climate where no cold transport chain is available. We’ve also worked hard to ensure they are even better than lecithin at reducing spatter.”

Two other key areas where the new lecithin-free emulsifiers deliver are taste neutrality and stability. “Lecithin’s phospholipid balance is affected by crop condition, which means every new batch has to be tested and balanced, as there is always variation,” explains Hamed. “With our lecithin-free emulsifiers, any variation is extremely low, so it’s much easier for customers to rely on them for continuous production.”

Teamwork makes the dream work

Collaboration is key to Palsgaard’s success, and never more so than in the rapid development of the new lecithin-free emulsifiers. “We have a really good teamwork ethic at Palsgaard. Success is achieved by people from different departments working together. These days, you don’t need a hero – you need a good team.

“It’s also helpful that Palsgaard is so strong in the development area, with food technologists who have been working here for over 30 years creating new products. Some of our colleagues are like walking encyclopaedias. Twenty years ago, as a customer of Palsgaard myself, I was highly impressed by the knowledge, service levels and technical support. Now I’m working here, it’s a fantastic bank of expertise to tap into.”

The other side of the collaboration equation is the customer, whose input is encouraged and supported throughout the development process. As well as providing a portfolio of standard recipes and processes for the new lecithin-free emulsifiers, Palsgaard has a small-scale pilot facility capable of producing batches of up to 30kg, where manufacturers are helped to develop the products for specific applications without needing to produce tons of margarine.

“We can also use it to establish optimal processing conditions, so our customers don’t need to spend time and materials doing this themselves,” adds Hamed. “The end result is that our new emulsifiers still yield the familiar taste and functionality that people are used to. Customers could also potentially use less compared with lecithin-containing products, which is a cost advantage. But, for me, the highlights of our new lecithin-free emulsifiers are that they confer greater stability, better texture, a slightly higher melting point and better spatter control.”

Just like sunflower lecithin, but better.

• Recipes and additional product details are available here.