In June 2015, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined that PHOs are not generally recognized as safe (GRAS), and food manufacturers would have three years to remove them from their products.
Palsgaard is extending a helping hand to those manufacturers with a line of emulsifiers that can replace PHOs. According to the Denmark company, its Emupals emulsifiers offer batter stability, improve cake volume and texture, increase shelf life, reduce cooking costs and simplify producers’ ingredient lists.
Emulpals 115 and 115 are vegetable-based active emulsifiers, also making them suitable for vegan, gluten- and sugar-free cake recipes.
Powder challenges
Rose Regalado, Palsgaard's GM, said the biggest challenge is that bakeries are usually not familiar with emulsifiers in a powder format.
“Cake emulsifiers normally come in paste form. They can be gels, hydrates or shortening base,” she said.
“There is a reformulation process that goes into baking goods with powered emulsifiers.
“When bakers are ready to use these powder solutions, there will be a big adjustment, but the advantages of our products are very broad and we will give our customers the technical support they need,” Regalado added.
Whipped
At IFT, the company also displayed a powdered whipping agent called Palsgaard SA 6610, which delivers the same performance under a variety of conditions.
“Palsgaard SA 6610 consists of a dispersing agent and an active emulsifier,” said Palsgaard. “The dispersing agent ensures the emulsifier is properly distributed throughout the cake mix.”
The company added that, since the product requires no extra additives to activate, it can be used to formulate "clean label" cakes.
Extending US footprint
The US market currently represents a small part of Palsgaard’s global sales, said Regalado, however, she expects the company to gain a bigger market share there with the launch of the emulsifiers.
“We want to double our sales within 12 months,” she said.