식품 증점제 기능 및 응용 분야

1. Food Thickeners Functions

Food thickeners are a class of food additives, the main function is to increase the viscosity of the product and improve its performance.

The main function is to thicken, stabilize, suspend, gelling, emulsify, improve the tissue state, improve the tissue structure and so on.

The most important and basic function is to thicken the aqueous phase, or to make the aqueous phase into a gel,

This important function has been widely used in food processing and other industrial production.

By using the three-dimensional network structure formed by some thickeners, the aqueous phase can be converted from a liquid to a solid state,

Common gel foods include jellies, puddings, gelatinized soft drinks, gelatinized juices, jams, jellies, gummies and so on.

In meat products, they can improve texture and increase yield.

In dairy beverages and general beverages, they can increase the smoothness of beverages and prevent whey precipitation and water-emulsion delamination.

When used in beverages or foods with high starch content, they can prevent starch aging.

Moreover, in the homogenization process of dairy beverage, if there is no suitable stabilization system, it is easy to cause the coagulation and precipitation of egg mass in the process of acidification, which is a crucial link in the production of dairy beverage and the most problematic stage in the production of dairy beverage.

If the right amount of thickener is added to the system, it can obviously reduce the aggregation of protein particles, reduce the chance of protein denaturation, and enhance the stability of the system.

In addition, some thickeners can also mask the odor of some products, enhance the aroma of the product, stabilize the fat layer, etc.

2. Food Thickeners Applications

The following table lists the main physical and chemical properties of edible colloids in food applications,

It helps food processors to select and use the right hydrocolloid for their products.

Main Physicochemical Properties of Hydrocolloids
Colloid name	Processing conditions (temperature °C, pH, etc.)	viscosity	Amount used in food / %	Percentage in compounded gum/%	Solubility in ethanol/%	pH range in food applications	Interaction with milk (protein)
Gelatine	40-60	lower	0.3 - 10	0-80	<20	4-10	no
Xanthan gum	low temperature	high	0.02-0.3	0-80	<50	1-13	pH < isoelectric point: precipitation
Agar	>100	lower	0.05-0.5	0-80	<20	2.5-10	no
Alginates	Depends on cation and pH	pH > 5.5, low. pH < 5.5, high.	0.005-1	0.80	<40	2.8-10	insoluble
카파 카라기난	>70	lower	0.01-3	0-40	<20	4-10	pH 6-7: high gel strength, pH < isoelectric point: precipitation
이오타 카라기난	Low temperature (if no ^Ca2+)	medium	0.1-1	0-20	<20	4-1	pH 6-7: higher viscosity, pH < isoelectric point: precipitation
Lambda Carrageenan	low temperature	high	0.1 - 0.8	0-80	<60	2-10	no
Acacia gum	low temperature	lower	10-90	0-80	<60	2-10	no
CMC	low temperature	high	0.1 - 0.8	0-80	<30	3-10	pH 6-7: precipitation, pH < isoelectric point: higher viscosity
Guar gum	low temperature	high	0.1 - 0.7	0-80	<20	4-10	pH 6-7: precipitation, pH < isoelectric point: none
Locust bean gum	>82	high	0.1 - 0.7	0-80	<20	4-10	no
Konjac gum	Aqueous solution to obtain viscosity, gel at pH 9	high	0.05-5	0-80	<20	4-10	no
Microcrystalline cellulose	Absorbs water and swells, insoluble in water	lower	0.5-5	0-80	<10	3.5-8	no
HM pectin	low temperature	lower	0.01-1	55-80	<20	2.5-4	pH 6-7: precipitation, pH < isoelectric point: higher viscosity
LM pectin	Low temperature (in water)	lower	0.5 - 2.5	30-80	<20	2.5-5.5	pH 6-7: gel, pH < isoelectric point: none