KELCOGEL® Gellan Gum for Dairy Alternative Beverages
When formulating with plant-based proteins, count on the nature-based stabilizer, KELCOGEL® Gellan Gum. Produced through fermentation, KELCOGEL Gellan Gum enables uniform consistency and suspension of key nutrients and other ingredients. And, our portfolio includes solutions to meet various requirements, such as non-GMO, vegan and organic compliance.
As the leading global producer of Gellan gum, CP Kelco introduced this technology to industry roughly 15 years ago. We have experience with this unique molecule in the food, beverage, personal care, industrial cleaners and paper markets.
Nutritionally, gellan gum is a soluble dietary fiber. This multifunctional gelling agent can be used alone or in combination with other products to produce a wide variety of interesting textures.
Gellan gum is extremely effective at low use levels in forming gels, and are available in two types, high and low acyl content. Low acyl gellan gum products form firm, non-elastic, brittle gels, whereas high acyl gellan gum forms soft, very elastic, non-brittle gels. Varying the ratios of the two forms of gellan produces a wide variety of textures.
The uniqueness of gellan gum is the ability to suspend while contributing minimal viscosity via the formation of a uniquely functioning fluid gel solution with a weak gel structure. Fluid gels exhibit an apparent yield stress, i.e., a finite stress which must be exceeded before the system will flow. These systems are very good at suspending particulate matter since, provided the stress exerted by the action of gravity on the particles is less than the yield stress, the suspension will remain stable.
Other important properties of gellan gum fluid gels are the setting temperature, degree of structure and thermal stability. All of these properties are, as with normal unsheared gels, dependent upon the concentration of gellan gum and the type and concentration of gelling ions.
This multi-functional hydrocolloid can be used at low levels in a wide variety of products that require gelling, texturizing, stabilizing, suspending, film-forming and structuring.
