Emulsifiers and stabilisers for plant-based drinks

Making a crucial difference

Alongside UHT technology and proper homogenisation to extend shelf-life, emulsifiers and stabilisers are crucial, especially for plant-based beverages. The right emulsifiers ensure optimal emulsion stability, reducing creaming during the entire shelf-life, while stabilisers improve the stability of proteins to minimize sedimentation during storage.

Palsgaard provides blended and integrated emulsifiers and stabilisers for use in a variety of plant-based beverages. These offer advantages such as:

• No dust formation during handling
• 100% uniform composition
• Dispersibility at low temperatures
• No requirement for pre-blending
• Free-flowing properties

Adding stabilisers imparts thickening and stabilising properties, helping to create the network needed to suspend particles, increase viscosity and improve mouthfeel. 

Successful dosage

Achieving the right dosage is a vital parameter for success with your plant-based drinks. Under-dosing or unsuitable emulsifier/stabiliser combinations cause sedimentation, while over-dosing will cause separation and/or gellation.

Chocolate challenges

Creating a stable chocolate-flavoured plant-based beverage is more difficult than chocolate milk as it contains more fibres. A standard carrageenan system, for example, isn't good enough to hold the cocoa particulates. Another important factor in the stability of the end product is the filling temperature.

Palsgaard has developed emulsifier and stabiliser combinations suited for filling temperatures both above and below 30 degrees Celsius as well as other solutions that enable you to create refreshing plant-based drinks that can be flavoured with juice concentrates such as orange, apple, mango and more, depending on local tastes and preferences.