Hydrosol: News and Events

News

Over the past ten years ready-to-drink coffee beverages have shown steady growth worldwide. In 2023 alone revenue rose by 4.8 percent to total 30.6 billion euros, and continues to trend upward. This is the conclusion of a study by market research institute Statista Market Insights. They prognosticate annual growth of 5.6 percent through 2027 (CAGR 2023-2027), to a projected 38.2 billion euros. More and more dairies are leveraging this potential and addressing the ongoing demand with new product ideas. Hydrosol supports manufacturers with stabilizing systems from the Stabiprime and Stabisol ranges. Product Manager Binia Postel explains: “We’ve added coffee drinks to our milk mixed beverage applications. For example, one very exciting concept is a protein-rich coffee drink with a protein content of six percent. It’s made of milk powder and water together with the customer’s instant coffee. What makes it special is that it is filled into cans and autoclaved. That means it can be stored without cooling. There hasn’t been a concept like this before. It’s really quite innovative.”

Binia Postel, Product Management Dairy & Deli at Hydrosol

According to Postel, the development of this protein-rich coffee drink was very complex. It was necessary to get the protein content and the acids in the coffee into balance, and ensure stability even at high temperatures. Hydrosol’s stabilizer experts succeeded at this very well. One reason is their many years of experience in stabilizing milk mixed beverages, another is the individual service the company provides. “Every coffee is different, so in our trials we try to use the specific customer’s coffee, be it instant, cold brew or something similar,” says Postel.

The coffee drink can be made with fresh milk, or as a recombined version with milk powder. The recombined option is attractive for markets where little fresh milk is available. The stabilizing system keeps the drink stable for a long time, while phosphates and/or carbonates control the acid development.

The finished coffee drinks can of course be customized individually varied, from different coffee intensities to seasonal flavours. Many ideas are possible. The company’s close collaboration with sister company OlbrichtArom makes flavouring problem-free. It also offers interesting possibilities for avoiding added sugar while still providing a certain sweetness. This is precisely what OlbrichtArom’s Sugar Booster product does, by maximizing the light sweetness of lactose. These ready-to-drink solutions for coffee drinks are equally suitable for retail and food service.

Hamburg, December 2023 – Meat in the middle of the plate, vegetables on the side: A familiar combination that now offers new possibilities in the market for alternative meat products. These have special appeal for consumers who want to eat less meat in general, but are unwilling to compromise either on flavour or on consistency. “We see big opportunities for hybrid products, since they offer many benefits,” explains Katharina Burdorf, Team Lead Product Management Hydrosol. “Vegetables, legumes, and mushrooms offer nutritional advantages, for one thing. And for another they cost less than meat, so recipes can be more economical.” This is a strong motivation given the current economic situation.

It is therefore not to be wondered at that according to market research, 58 percent of consumers would try products containing a mix of animal and plant proteins. Hydrosol has developed the PLUSmulson series stabilizing systems for hybrid meat products and cold cuts. They are simple to use and easy to integrate into existing production processes. The meat and vegetable proportions can be varied flexibly. “In our sample recipes we use 60 percent meat and about 25 percent vegetables, but increasing the proportion of vegetables is no problem,” says Burdorf.

 

 

Simple manufacture and nutritional benefits

By adjusting the flavourings and types of meat, the system enables a wide range of hybrid products, from burgers, meatballs, nuggets and schnitzel to fish products. Production is done on conventional machinery, by mixing chopped meat and vegetables – like carrots, broccoli and bell peppers – with other ingredients like seasonings and the stabilizing system. The mixture is then formed into burgers, nuggets, or schnitzel. Thanks to its good binding ability, the stabilizing system ensures good structure in the final products even with high vegetable content. The system is free of E-numbers so it is ideal for clean-label products.

Hybrid sausage and cold cuts can also be made without problems, as Hydrosol recently showed at Fi Europe with hybrid bratwurst. “Many visitors were amazed at the authentic flavour and texture. Feedback was positive all the way,” reports Katharina Burdorf. In addition the hybrid products, whether sausage or meat alternatives, have a number of nutritional benefits. They contain less fat and cholesterol than conventional meat products, but have the same amount of protein. Depending on the type of vegetables used, they can also have high fibre content. A big advantage for parents is that kids get an extra serving of vegetables with these hybrid products.

Lower CO2 emissions and a smaller ecological footprint are added benefits. And then there are business advantages for meat producers – hybrid products are a good way to win back lost market share.

The type of vegetables contained can be leveraged for marketing purposes, for example by advertising local or regional agriculture on packages. The products can also be tailored to appeal to ethnic taste preferences and thus different markets.

The future of hybrid products

Hybrid products put the focus more on flavour, health and convenience, but they take some explaining, as Burdorf relates: “Sales success depends greatly on the marketing communication. It’s

important to point out the advantages of the products, as otherwise it can seem that the vegetables are just there to stretch the meat for cost reasons. Proactive communication can prevent that.”

What’s more, hybrid products offer strong innovation potential, and open up new possibilities in combination with cultured meat. “For cost reasons, most companies will start by taking hybrid products to market,” says Burdorf. “Plus, combinations of cultured cells and plant-based proteins as a rule have higher consumer acceptance.” At any event, the example shows the possibilities that hybrid meat offers for marketing. The preparation potential ranges from economy recipes to high-end products, from gourmet creations to kids’ foods.

Ahrensburg, October 2023 – At this year’s Food Ingredients Europe, Hydrosol is serving a modern version of the classic dish “currywurst and French fries” at stand 3.1D160 – with a fat-reduced French fries sauce, a curry sauce with an intensive taste and a hybrid sausage. Whereas in the field of dairy products, the focus is on the best-selling product: vegetable-based cream. In addition, Katharina Burdorf, Team Lead Product Management at Hydrosol, is diving into the topic of cellular agriculture as a speaker on 29 November at the FIE Conference. The title of the presentation is “Sustaining the World’s Appetite: The Role of Cellular Agriculture in Modern Food Systems”.

Hybrid Currywurst, French fries 4.0

The hybrid currywurst contains less fat and cholesterol than conventional products but it is just as tasty as the original. Hybrid products appeal particularly to consumers who would like to reduce their meat consumption but do not want to make compromises regarding taste and consistency. The hybrid currywurst which trade fair visitors can try at the Hydrosol stand, is only one example of this. With the stabilisating systems from the PLUSmulson range, a wide array of different hybrid products can be produced – from sausages and cold cuts via burgers, meatballs, nuggets and schnitzels to fish products. The combination of meat and vegetables can be smoothly integrated into the existing production process. The proportions of meat and vegetables can be flexibly varied. With their health, economic and environmental advantages, hybrid products offer the opportunity to combine the best of both worlds.

Fitting well to the sausage rich in vegetables, Hydrosol has developed a concept for a curry sauce which can be used flexibly and retains good viscosity even in the warm state. The functional system for French fries sauce scores points with its nutritionally nutritional physiology advantages and simple preparation. The all-in compound has an excellent emulsifying capacity and guarantees a stable final product, even without the use of egg yolk powder. Despite the improved nutritional value due to a reduction in fat content to 15 percent and a fibre enrichment, the French fries sauce has a creamy mouthfeel and a delicious taste. This makes it an ideal alternative to conventional high-fat mayonnaise.

Vegetable based-cream: our bestsellers impress

Vegetable-based cream is by far the most popular category on the Hydrosol website. For a good reason: Cooking and whipping creams based on vegetable fat have long shelf lives, offer cost advantages compared to conventional cream and in addition, vegetable fat is usually available at any time. Not to be forgotten: the final products are more stable and convince with individual properties. With the stabilising and texturing systems from the Stabimuls ICR range, manufacturers can produce creams with significantly higher whipping volumes and sturdier foam structures than conventional cream. Furthermore, variants which are freeze-thaw-stable are also possible. Whereas the systems from the Stabisol Vega rangereveal cooking creams with flexible fat contents of between 10 and 30 percent. These are heat-stable and resilient against acids and do not coagulate even when alcohol is added. There is also a variant which combines both advantages – making it suitable for cooking and whipping. At the FIE, visitors can experience the advantages of vegetable-based cream live.

Cultured meat: new ideas from research

On all five continents, companies are researching cultured meat. “Both new types of vegan meat alternatives and cultured meat have the potential to be disruptive,” explains Katharina Burdorf, Team Lead Product Management at Hydrosol. In her dissertation, the expert is researching the opportunities offered by meat from cultivated cells, but also the challenges which must be mastered by this new generation of protein. At the FIE Conference, she will share expert insights into the current state of research.

Ahrensburg, September 2023 – In June the US Department of Agriculture granted two companies final approval for the sale of cultured chicken meat. This makes the US the second country after Singapore in which meat from cell cultures can be sold. Companies on all five continents are researching cultured meat. According to market research, last year the focus was on beef and mutton, followed by poultry and pork. Fish and seafood are another area of interest.

Meatballs
Meatballs on smashed potatoes.

Alternative proteins remain on a growth course. Alongside plant-based alternatives and proteins made through fermentation, the focus is increasingly on cultured meat, also known as in-vitro meat. The main drivers are the challenge of feeding a growing world population, climate and environmental protection, and animal welfare. “Both new vegan meat substitutes and cultured meat have disruptive potential,” notes Katharina Schäfer, Team Lead Product Management at Hydrosol. For her dissertation, she is studying the opportunities for meat from cultured cells as well as the challenges this new protein generation must overcome. “Right now consumer acceptance is the biggest hurdle,” says Schäfer. “Studies show differences in consumers’ willingness to try cultured meat. While in Brazil and Switzerland about three-quarters of people would be willing to try meat from cell cultures, in Germany and India the number is not as high but still over half. In the US and Great Britain, on the other hand, it is only about 40 percent. What’s more, willingness to try something can only be considered the lowest level of acceptance. Making a purchase is the next highest, and the highest is consuming something regularly and thus replacing a familiar product with it.”

Many advantages

Katharina Schäfer, Ambassador Cellular Agriculture
Katharina Schäfer, Ambassador Cellular Agriculture & Team Lead Product Management

Essential factors that influence the acceptance of cultured meat include public awareness and knowledge, ethical and ecological concerns, and emotional and personal factors. Product characteristics likewise play a role, as does – not least – the availability of alternatives. That being said, cultured meat has numerous advantages, including from the nutritional point of view. “The composition of cultured products can be adjusted flexibility,” explains Katharina Schäfer. “For example, it might be possible to configure the production of cultured fat in such a way that it contains omega-3 fatty acids, for a healthier product,” explains Schäfer.

Hydrosol helps companies with product development. “Our years of experience with conventional meat products enable us to offer various services,” adds Schäfer. “The most important is improving the functional properties of products with cultured meat.” Getting the texture, fibrousness, frying behaviour, and mouthfeel close to conventional meat products is not a problem. “For cost reasons, most companies will start by taking hybrid products to market, i.e. combinations of cultured and plant-based proteins.”

Hydrosol has long experience in the use of plant proteins, which led to the founding of Planteneers three years ago. In the Group’s Stern Technology Center, depending on the respective customer requirement and cultured product base, Hydrosol develops stabilizing and texturing systems for a wide variety of products. Another plus point is synergies with the other companies in the Stern-Wywiol Gruppe. For example, the nutritional profile of cultured meat products can be improved in collaboration with sister company SternVitamin.

An exciting future

Cheeseburger with fries.

The cultured meat field has developed rapidly since the presentation of the first cell-cultured burger ten years ago. Manufacturing costs have dropped substantially, and new industrial plants enable large-scale production. The first regulatory approvals are documenting the breakthrough of this new market segment, and step-by-step market launches of cultured meat products can be expected in the coming years. According to Katharina Schäfer, “there are initial small-scale sales in high-price restaurants in Singapore and the US. In addition to those markets, Switzerland and the United Kingdom could smooth the way for cultured meat in Europe. The first applications for approval were submitted to regulatory agencies there in recent weeks. Cultured meat will probably become a mass market product between 2028 and 2030.”

Optimistic prognoses see cultured meat becoming a big player by 2040. Experts predict that with a sales share of 35 percent, it will almost catch up to conventional meat at 40 percent, while the remaining quarter comprises vegan meat alternatives. “Acceptance of this disruptive innovation will be critical to achieving this kind of market success,” emphasizes Schäfer. “There are various factors that can favour future sales growth. The most important ones are government and regulatory measures, investment, and innovations that make scaled production of more varied products possible. Educating consumers to a greater degree is another important step. Cultured meat is probably not going to be the meat of the future, but it will definitely be a meat of the future.”

Hamburg, June 2023 – With consolidated revenues of 764 million euros last year, the Hamburg Stern-Wywiol Gruppe again enjoyed double-digit growth. With 12 specialist facilities in Germany, 19 foreign subsidiaries, ten Technology Centers and production locations in nine countries around the globe, this owner-operated company group is one of the global players in food & feed ingredients. Two of the growth drivers in the group are the Hydrosol and Planteneers subsidiaries. For many years Hydrosol has been a leading international supplier of stabilizing and texturing systems, while Planteneers is one of the successful newcomers in the growth market for plant-based alternatives. Key factors for the success of both companies are intense research, the development of innovative technologies, a nose for coming trends, and closeness to customers and markets. “Closeness to the market is crucial for us. It’s the only way we can offer customers the solutions they need and expect from us. Our innovations are precisely tuned to individual customer requirements,” said Dr. Matthias Moser, Managing Director of the Food Ingredients Division of the Stern-Wywiol Gruppe.

Corona and supply chain problems change commerce

The corona crisis and associated travel restrictions showed that many things can be accomplished online, and that travel is no longer absolutely necessary. Trends and needs have developed at different rates in different regions of the world, as have foods. Sustainability and climate protection, raw materials shortages and economical products – these trends differ in importance to producers, the trade, and consumers across different regions.

Meeting local needs with individual solutions

For this reason, this year for the first time the two sister companies invited their colleagues and partners to regional Sales Network Meetings in the different markets. The topics were focused on the respective key markets. In Dubai, Hydrosol and Planteneers presented new ideas for the Middle East and North African region and Asia-Pacific. In the Dominican Republic, Hydrosol presented profitable new products for Latin America. Economical recipes for fish and sausage products, dairy products and deli foods, as well as trend topics like healthy eating, were at the focus of attention. In Hamburg the focus was on solutions for the European and North American markets. The main topics were plant-based alternatives, including the many possibilities offered by the Plantbaser product configurator developed by Planteneers.

In addition to the specific market situation, consumer expectations, tastes and product preferences in the regions, participants presented special success stories, like using a Thermomix as a pilot “plant” for new dairy products in Latin America, the new generation of premium fish alternatives for the European market, and plant-based alternatives to classic breakfast cream in the Middle East / North African region.

Helping to shape future trends

“Challenges in raw materials sourcing, higher energy costs, the rising expectations of a growing world population regarding the flavour, appearance and quality of foods, and let’s not forget climate change and digitalization. The world is changing faster than ever before. But we nevertheless look optimistically towards the future,” said Dr. Moser. “With all the hurdles, we also see the opportunity to offer appropriate solutions to these major challenges through scientific and technical innovation.”

One example is “cellular agriculture” – making animal products from cells. “Both the cellular approach for making cultivated meat and precision fermentation for obtaining milk proteins give us opportunities to work with innovative raw materials and products in the future as well,” said Katharina Schäfer, Team Leader Product Management at Hydrosol. “Naturally there are challenges in the development of these future technologies, including scaling and consumer acceptance. But if they can be met, these technologies can make a major contribution to sustainable nutrition for the growing world population.”

Hydrosol and Planteneers are working hard on concepts with future potential, as Dr. Dorotea Pein, Director Food Trends and Innovations, explained at the Sales Network Meetings. At the focus of attention are ingredients like new proteins and enzymes, mega-trends like health and nutrition, and digitalization and raw materials sourcing. “We’re confident that we’re looking at a promising future with many possibilities,” said Dr. Moser. “Food technology is one of the key technologies of the 21st century. I’m more convinced of it than ever.”

Hamburg, March 2023 – The reduction of sugar and fat in foods is a subject of intense discussion around the world. The main driver for this remains the ominous increase in obesity on all five continents, which is being linked to higher sugar and fat consumption in particular. This is especially the case for children and young people. Many countries have already implemented streetlight systems like Nutriscore, or restrictive measures like the sugar tax. In addition to sound education and changes in eating habits, sugar- and fat-reduced products are a good way to come to grips with the problem. But sugar and fat are important flavour and texture components. If foods, especially convenience foods, are to taste good, new solutions are needed. Hydrosol has developed stabilising and texturing systems specifically for dairy products and deli foods. These include concepts for designing sugar- and fat-reduced dairy and deli products around the needs of children.

“We use carefully selected hydrocolloids and vegetable fibre to substitute for the beneficial technological properties of sugar and fat. They give the various final products a pleasant texture and familiar mouthfeel,” explains Katharina Schäfer, Team Lead Product Management Hydrosol. “In application testing we determine the ideal interplay of all the components, in order to get the desired characteristics in the final product. We use the same equipment as is commonly found in the dairy and deli foods industries. This lets us combine easy production with ideal product characteristics and nutritionally optimum formulations.”

To get the right sweetness, Hydrosol uses conventional sweeteners or products like stevia which have a positive image with consumers. Natural flavourings round out the flavour profile. Hydrosol works closely with sister company OlbrichtArom, which has developed a “sugar booster” especially for reduced-sugar products. This natural flavouring amplifies the delicate sweetness in final products without negatively influencing their characteristic flavour.

From yogurt to ketchup

With these functional systems, dairies can make products like milk mixed beverages or milk-juice drinks. Fermented milk products like yogurt, drinking yogurt and quark desserts can likewise be readily reformulated to reduce the sugar and fat. A stabilising system makes it easy to produce puddings that are sugar-reduced, low-fat and fibre-enriched, as well as lactose-free and micronutrient-fortified. A clean label system for ice cream forms the basis for a reformulated product with 30 percent less sugar. Although the system contains no conventional emulsifiers, it still gives a final product with an especially creamy mouthfeel.

In the cheese category, Hydrosol has developed a stabilising system for “squeezable” processed cheese preparations in tubes, pouches and similar soft packaging. The declaration-friendly final product needs no melting salts or table salt. 50 percent cheese goes into the premium formulation. In the deli category the clean-label system for sugar-reduced ketchup lets manufacturers use other vegetables in addition to tomatoes. This way, vegetables can be offered in “hidden” form. A clean label system for french fry sauce likewise features nutritional benefits. For example, it can be used for formulations with high fibre content.

Less fat, delicious flavour

The targeted combination of individual building blocks like vegetable fibre, hydrocolloids, starch and emulsifiers is the recipe for success with authentic flavour and pleasing mouthfeel in products with reduced fat content. This applies to yogurt and pudding as well as cream cheese, bread spreads or vegetable fat creams, and naturally mayonnaise as well. As Katharina Schäfer says, “With the combination of different ingredient groups, like hydrocolloids, proteins and plant-based fibre, we make targeted use of the interactions between these and other substances. From our long applications experience, we know that the synergistic effects of these complexes give much better results than single ingredients. This applies to sugar and fat-reduced foods as well as other trend products, from the entry price range to premium quality.”

Quite apart from high inflation and exploding energy prices, the volatile availability and price fluctuations on raw materials markets are a huge challenge for the food industry. New solutions are needed in order to respond to consumers’ shrinking budgets. Accordingly, cost reduction remains a focus at Hydrosol. “More and more customers are asking us to help them make their recipes more economical,” reports Hydrosol Product Manager Katharina Schäfer. Hydrosol, a specialist in stabilising and texturing systems, is working hard to find ways to reduce cost-driving raw materials in stabilising systems, as well as to develop new systems on this basis.

One example is ice cream. Locust bean gum is a familiar ingredient here thanks to its many functional properties. For example, it gives a slow, gentle melt and prevents the formation of ice crystals. It also gives ice cream a fuller mouthfeel, and makes it creamier and “warmer”. Prices have dropped back down a little bit after a huge jump in the spring, but locust bean gum still costs four times what it did a year or two ago. “We try to retain the many functional properties of locust bean gum using more economical ingredients,” reports Katharina Schäfer. “First and foremost are other galactomannans like tara gum, which can often produce the desired properties in ice cream when combined with other ingredients like carrageenan. You need to make adjustments with care, in order to reduce or entirely replace locust bean gum – depending on how far the price needs to be reduced.” Another application where locust bean gum is used is breakfast cream. Here again, Hydrosol has developed alternative solutions.

Identifying cost drivers
In the deli category, mayonnaise is a big focus. “To reduce the egg content in compounds, while retaining its beneficial properties, we make use of the interplay of hydrocolloids and starches,” says Katharina Schäfer. This also applies to replacing xanthan, which is likewise used in mayonnaise and likewise rising in price. Together with the customer, Hydrosol defines the cost drivers in recipes so as to replace them as well as possible.

For example, with Hydrosol’s new functional systems the meat industry can reduce ingredients like carrageenan or alginate in cured meats and sausage products, to compensate for rising meat and raw material costs. “In our systems, these ingredients are substituted by improved formulations and combinations with other functional ingredients like starch and fibre,” explains Hydrosol Product Manager Florian Bark. “Our experienced meat technologists adjust the manufacturing processes on site, if needed.” Another possibility is to prolong product shelf life. With the help of improved shelf-life extender, meat and sausage products can stay in stores and with the customer longer.

Hamburg, August 2022 – The pandemic has turned work and lifestyles upside-down for the past two years. New Work and New Normal are the keywords here. Lockdowns forced many people to work at home – and they learned to appreciate the advantages. There is no real turning back, and mobile work has become normal at many companies. But this change in work life requires new food concepts. Instead of cafeterias, many consumers now look to their own creations, and home cooking has become more popular than ever since the start of the pandemic. Market research has shown that many home chefs use kitchen helpers that make preparation easier and combine convenience with enjoyment. Whether pudding powders for boiling with milk and sugar, or sauces that just need a quick stir, convenience products are booming. So, Hydrosol supports food producers with a new line of Homemade concepts for dairy and deli foods. With these new products, consumers can make delicious desserts, ice creams, dips and pasta sauces with little effort.

Hydrosol offers two different kinds of compounds, all-in and integrated. The all-in compounds contain all the ingredients, including colourings, flavourings and seasonings. Manufacturers just need to fill the compounds into their own packaging and market them to the trade. With the integrated compounds, Hydrosol supplies all the necessary stabilising ingredients. The customer then adds certain components themselves. “We created the new product line to meet the wishes of food manufacturers,” reported Linda Eitelberger, Product Manager for Dairy and Deli Products at Hydrosol. “More and more customers had approached us in the recent past asking for compounds for end users, so they could respond to the strong demand in the market.”

New dimensions: Hand mixer instead of cutter

During development Hydrosol thought for the first time in terms of kitchen dimensions instead of large industrial scale. The recipes are adapted, not to the usual large-scale production lines, but instead to hand mixers and blenders. In every other way these consumer concepts are based on the same expertise as the company’s many solutions for industrial production. As a specialist for stabilising and texturing systems, Hydrosol has extensive expertise in the most varied food categories, which is of central importance for its Homemade products as well. “In the development of functional systems, we have long been attentive to enabling our industrial customers to make the desired products with the lowest possible effort, using our tailor-made systems,” said Linda Eitelberger. “We have now applied this knowledge to the new Homemade line.”

The line currently comprises seven different product concepts. There is a compound for vanilla pudding that needs only to be boiled with milk and sugar. It features a velvety sheen and creamy texture. The same goes for the flan with vanilla-caramel flavour, which after cooling has the desired gelled yet creamy structure. Another system can be used for a dessert that doesn’t even need cooking – just whip it up quickly to get a fluffy chocolate mousse with stable foam. For homemade ice cream Hydrosol has developed a flexible system that lets consumers make milk, fruit or yogurt ice cream.

For the deli section there are three different sauces. The all-in compound for homemade chipotle-style sauce comes with all seasonings and flavourings already in it. The consumer needs only stir it into water, for instant use as a dip or topping for meat or vegetables. Hydrosol also offers an all-in compound for a fast pasta sauce à la carbonara, with ham and cream flavour.  It has the ideal consistency to adhere well to noodles. Finally, there’s a mayo sauce with 65 – 70 percent fat content that only needs to be stirred up cold with water, oil and vinegar.

“These new compounds are based on our proven Hydrobest and Stabimuls series stabilising systems, so they are absolutely dependable,” said Linda Eitelberger. Another advantage is that both the manufacturer and the consumer can refine the desserts and sauces individually by adding their own ingredients. The compounds are perfect for marketing with additional recipe ideas.

Hamburg, June 2022 – Two years of pandemic have caused major economic problems around the world. But instead of the markets recovering, high inflation, exploding energy costs and volatile market and price developments in the raw materials markets have greatly aggravated the situation. These factors are having a huge effect on consumer purchasing power. According to Innova Market Insights, 40 percent of consumers around the world say that their disposable income has declined during the pandemic. Higher inflation will continue to burden household budgets, so the costs and affordability of food products will remain a growing problem.

Hydrosol supports the food industry with various solutions that help ensure continued sufficient food supplies at affordable prices. The company focuses on replacing raw materials and developing economical recipes. “Raw material substitution is a core topic right now,” explains Hydrosol Product Manager Katharina Schäfer. “Locust bean gum, which is used in many stabilising systems, is one example. As of today it has gone up in price by a factor of eight. In order to compensate for this increase, our R&D department has been researching alternative solutions intensively for some time now.”

Replacing ingredients
Through the intelligent combination of various hydrocolloids, expensive raw materials can be reduced or even entirely replaced. Technical and technological changes also result in new recipes for the production of affordable foods, be they dairy and deli or meat and sausage products. “We’ve identified the cost drivers in many recipes, and replaced them with more economical alternatives. This is the case both for functional ingredients and for individual ingredients,” reports Schäfer. “For example, in particularly economical processed cheese preparations the cheese content is reduced and the butter replaced by vegetable fat. In milk drinks, we replace the milk with whey. Our goal is to create products of good quality with the right value for money.”

Among the company’s systems for especially economical products is Stabisol JOC 2 for making fermented whey desserts. A clever combination of ingredients gives the final product the same creamy texture as yogurt. Thanks to the flexible system, the amount and type of whey can be varied, since both sweet and acid whey can be used. Both are by-products of cheese and quark manufacture. Another idea is the Hydrobest Drink range of all-in compounds, which simplify the production of delicious milk mixed beverages. There are also economical formulations for quark, cream cheese and processed cheese preparations, cooking cream and vegetable-based whipping creams in various flavours. In the deli category, Hydrosol offers interesting solutions for fat-reduced salat dressings, spreadable sandwich creams with butter taste, and ketchup and similar red sauces.

Consistent quality
Manufacturers of fresh meat products can use the PLUSstabil FM series of functional systems to make products with improved brine binding for very good yield. The natural meat fibres are retained, and gain a moist and tender texture. With ground meat products like burger patties and meatballs, the range of HydroTOP functional systems give the final product better binding. HydroTOP Perfect D 80 reduces cooking loss in pre-fried breaded chicken partsand gives crispy, intact breading. The system is added directly during the manufacturing process.

Hydrosol also enables economical recipes for sausages and cooked cured products, for example with the help of HydroTOP CS 50. This stabilising system can be individually adjusted for the meat content, and optimises the quality of the final product even with varying meat quality. It is suitable for many different sausage products, from scalded sausage to large-diameter cold cuts like mortadella. The quality of cooked cured products can be adjusted with the help of special brine additives, enabling a wide range of ham specialities at affordable prices. These functional systems reduce cooking loss and boost yield, in sausages as well as cured meat products, while also improving texture and bite.

Hamburg, March 2022 – The meat industry is in a transition. Many companies face the question: Do we continue to focus entirely on meat products, or do we expand our range with plant-based alternatives? The answer isn’t easy, since worldwide meat consumption will continue to grow. On the other hand, in the western industrialised countries plant-based alternatives are increasingly in demand. Hydrosol and Planteneers, sister companies within the Stern-Wywiol Gruppe, support the meat industry with exciting product concepts that open up new potential in many different markets. Whether all-meat, less meat or all-plant, these concepts let manufacturers react to current challenges, trends and consumer wishes.

Hydrosol: Meat meets vegetables
Reducing the meat content in burger patties, nuggets or sausages, and replacing it with vegetables, legumes and fibre, results in products that are a perfect match with the ongoing consumer demand for healthy indulgence. The new PLUSmulson series stabilising system compensates for the function of the missing meat proteins. It’s suitable for making many different products, and is simple to use and easy to integrate into existing production processes. “Free from” is another major trend. In the meat category, that primarily means less salt and less phosphate. Here again, Hydrosol has developed new concepts, for example for making phosphate-free sausages. Likewise new are clean label solutions for meat products that use natural ingredients for effective freshness preservation, appealing colour and phosphate-free brine substitutes.

At the companies’ joint booth Hydrosol is presenting economical solutions for a variety of applications, like meat, ham, convenience products and sausage products. Economical production calls for solutions to counter rising raw material prices; with the drastic price increases for some ingredients, replacing raw materials is currently a hot topic, and one the Hydrosol R&D team is continuously developing new solutions for. The objective of raw material substitution is to maintain the consistent quality of the final product within its existing price category.

Planteneers: Discovering new possibilities
At the IFFA Planteneers is showing new possibilities that meat and convenience manufacturers have in addition to their core business. With the company’s systems, vendors can extend their product lines with a broad spectrum of plant-based alternatives. Planteneers assists its customers throughout the entire process, from the initial idea to upscaling for large scale production. The resulting plant-based products can be made on existing machines, reducing the need to invest in new equipment.

Among the new product ideas that Planteneers is showing at the IFFA are alternatives to chicken strips, kebab and steaks. For creative variety and additional sales boosts there are cheese alternatives, for example as filling in vegan sausages, or in plant-based convenience products like cordon bleu. A plant-based burger sauce and vegan dressings for deli salads produced cold add to the possibilities. Plant-based fish and seafoods can also open up interesting new market opportunities for meat producers. From raw fish alternatives to filets and fish fingers to calamari, Planteneers has a broad selection.

The new hybrid concepts are a special highlight, and close the gap between flexitarians and meat eaters. For this category Planteneers has developed a stabilising system that already contains the plant protein component. This gives meat producers a simple way to significantly reduce the animal component of their final products, without adversely affecting the desired meat flavour. With Planteneers’ compounds meat manufacturers can implement new ideas alongside their core business, and enter new market segments. Depending on the recipe, protein-rich pulses like lentils or chickpeas are used, along with vegetables with the right flavour.

With their new product concepts Hydrosol and Planteneers are addressing the issues of the future – international trends, food safety and sustainability. Planteneers is also a market pioneer in digitalisation, with its new Plantbaser. This takes new product development to the next level. From idea to finished product in just two weeks is the idea, because by using this digital configurator meat producers can develop plant-based foods right on a computer to save time. Based on criteria they define, they can select the product they want to make from a comprehensive portfolio of solutions. Within two weeks Planteneers then sends a prototype of the configured product for testing. IFFA attendees can see exactly how it works in a live demo daily, and also learn what possibilities these sister companies offer, at the joint Planteneers and Hydrosol booth – Hall 12.1, Booth B 81.

Hamburg, February 2022 – Obesity in children and youths is a major health challenge around the world. In Germany alone, according to the Robert Koch Institute, one in six children is overweight or obese. Among 11 to 13-year-olds the figure is even higher, at one in five. Worldwide, the number of obese children and youths of school age has increased over tenfold in just 40 years, from 11 million to an alarming 124 million in 2016. Experts prognosticate a continued increase to 254 million obese children and youths aged 5 to 19 by 2030.

Nutrition plays a leading role in this drama. In this context, the reduction of sugar and fat in foods is a subject of intensive discussion around the world. In order to provide food producers with new approaches for healthier children’s products, Hydrosol has expanded its free-from product line. Together with sister companies SternVitamin and OlbrichtArom, this stabiliser specialist has developed concepts for making sugar- and fat-reduced dairy and deli products designed specifically for the needs of children.

Hydrosol uses carefully selected hydrocolloids and vegetable fibre to substitute for the beneficial technological properties of sugar and fat. This gives the various final products a pleasant texture and familiar mouthfeel. Enrichment with vitamins and minerals from sister company SternVitamin provides added health value. Meanwhile, child-appropriate flavourings from sister company OlbrichtArom give foods the right taste. The networked collaboration of the three companies results in individual concepts for a very diverse range of reformulated final products, whose flavour, texture and nutritional value are aligned with the needs of children.

Added value for children, from milk drinks to desserts to cheese

The focus in the new line is on stabilising systems for dairy products intended for children aged 5 and above. Katharina Schäfer, Product Manager Hydrosol, explains: “In addition to child-friendly flavours and declaration-friendly ingredients, the focus was on improving the nutritional values. Our recommended formulations meet these requirements, and permit the use of various nutritional and health laims, e.g., relating to an intact immune system, normal growth and cognitive development in children.”

After confectionery, dairy products are the second largest category of new products for children aged five to twelve. The leaders in this segment, by a large margin, are milk mixed beverages and drinking yogurt, followed by spoonable yogurt, quark desserts, classic milk, ice cream, desserts and processed cheese preparations.

With a flexible system for milk mixed beverages, manufacturers can make high quality milk drinks for children in very diverse flavours, from classic favourites like chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and banana, to coconut and caramel. Thanks to its improved formulation, this stabilising system prevents sedimentation in even the most difficult cases, even with cocoa, where it keeps the particles suspended. Naturally, all these milk and cocoa drinks are sugar- and fat-reduced. They are sources of fibre and can be individually enriched with vitamins and minerals. The same goes for the system for making milk juice drinks. These are sugar-reduced and even fat-free. They also contain fibre, vitamins and minerals. Fermented milk products like yogurt, drinking yogurt and quark desserts can likewise readily be reformulated by reducing the sugar and fat, and enriching them with nutrients.

The concepts for pudding and ice cream can be marketed as treats with health benefits. The functional system for pudding can be used for sugar-reduced, low-fat, fibre-enriched products that are lactose-free and micronutrient-fortified. They feature creamy mouthfeel and great taste. The special recipe enables marketing communication of EU health claims, for example relating to normal growth and an intact immune system. The clean label system for ice cream forms the basis for a reformulated product with 30 percent less sugar. Although it contains no conventional emulsifiers, it still results in a final product with an especially creamy mouthfeel. The ice cream also has prebiotics that allow it to be declared as high-fibre, while the added vitamins and minerals support the normal functioning of the immune system. The final product can be offered as ice cream on a stick or in larger packs.

 

In the cheese category, Hydrosol has developed a stabilising system for “squeezable” processed cheese preparations in tubes, pouches and similar soft packaging. The declaration-friendly final product needs no melting salts or table salt. 50 percent cheese goes into the premium formulation. Various flavourings like vanilla, banana or strawberry can be used to give the products exciting flavours that kids like and that provide variety.

French fries with ketchup, mayo and a clear conscience

Kids don’t care about healthy, balanced eating. Flavour and enjoyment are what count with them, and french fries or chips with ketchup and mayonnaise are big favourites with youngsters. As alternatives to the calorie-heavy standard products, Hydrosol has developed recipes for sauces intended for children aged five to twelve. They feature kid-friendly flavours and improved nutritional values, and thanks to their selected ingredients they’re also declaration-friendly. For example, with the clean-label system for sugar-reduced ketchup, manufacturers can use other vegetables in addition to tomatoes. This means that parents can feed their children vegetables in hidden form.

The clean-label system for french fry sauce features not only nutritional benefits like high fibre content, but also easy production using standard machinery. This all-in compound has very high emulsification ability and ensures a stable final product, even without powdered egg yolk. Despite its improved nutritional value and reduced fat content, the sauce has a creamy mouthfeel and tasty flavour, making it the ideal alternative to conventional fatty mayonnaise.

Whether spreadable or in slices, processed cheese preparations are established products worldwide. But the phosphates in the melting salts are under fire for causing health problems, first and foremost osteoporosis, but also a heightened risk of heart attack and stroke in certain groups. Therefore, Hydrosol has developed formulations that don’t need added phosphates. They are ideal for stabilising processed cheese preparations. These “free from” products offer characteristics similar to standard products; like them, they can be offered as spreadable cheese, in triangular packages or enjoyed as slices on burgers or toast.

Spreadable clean label products in premium quality

A stabilising system in the Stabisol PCCL series enables the production of spreadable processed cheese preparations without E-numbers. The system is based on a complex combination of a specific starch, vegetable fibre and other plant-based ingredients. The standard recipe calls for more than 30 percent real cheese varieties such as gouda, and is produced in a conventional high-shear process cooker.

Especially for children’s products, Hydrosol has developed a stabilising system for squeezable processed cheese preparations in tubes, pouches and similar soft packaging. The declaration-friendly final product needs no melting salts or table salt.

This stabilising system, likewise from the Stabisol PCCL series, is based on a special combination of a declaration-friendly hydrocolloid and special starch. 50 percent cheese goes into the premium formulation. Various flavourings like vanilla, banana or strawberry can be used to give the products surprise flavours that kids like, and that provide variety.

Free-from processed cheese preparations in good shape

Processed cheese preparations in slices or triangles can be given good shaping qualities using a stabilising system from the Stabisol PCTR series. Like the others, this is free from added phosphates and citrates, and is intended for products with high content of real cheeses like gouda or cheddar. The flexible system consists of a complex combination of highly reactive hydrocolloids and a special emulsifier, that gives products good sliceability along with good sandwich-slice melting properties. For processed cheese preparations in triangular shapes, the stabilising system provides for ideal filling viscosity and simple use.

Hamburg, June 2021 – For almost 30 years, Hydrosol has been one of the leading international suppliers of specialty food ingredients system solutions. As it expands its long-term market position in this rapidly growing category, the company builds on its comprehensive knowledge of functional ingredients, industrial production processes, and the challenges of food shelf life and regional eating habits. Customers around the world use this expertise to make attractive, good-tasting and safe foods.

“In recent years, Hydrosol had deployed its strong in-house capabilities to develop new solutions in the plant-based category as well,” reports Dr. Matthias Moser, Managing Director of the Food Ingredients Division of Stern-Wywiol Gruppe. “In the autumn of 2020 that booming unit was spun off to form the new company Planteneers, which is growing rapidly along with the industry. Simultaneously, stabiliser specialist Hydrosol greatly expanded its expertise in texturing, to go beyond the physical stabilisation of food products.” As a result the company formerly known as “The Stabiliser People” has redefined itself. Now Hydrosol says “We texture taste.”

Dr. Moser comments, “we’ve steadily built out our portfolio in the past decades and massively expanded our expertise, in breadth as well as depth. Our products enable the optimum adjustment of consistency and mouthfeel. Together with our knowledge of flavourings and colourings, this gives customers solutions they can use to offer consumers the perfect taste experience. ‘We texture taste’ is thus a very accurate description of what Hydrosol does on a daily basis.”

The company has also deepened its relationships with raw materials suppliers on international markets. At the same time, it is focusing more and more on trend-oriented solutions. These strengths will be even more central going forward. The core emphasis is on developing solutions together with customers that meet consumers’ rising expectations and address current food trends. Convenience, health and clean label remain the strongest drivers. “Free from” concepts are an example, as Dr. Moser explains: “Consumers increasingly want products that are free from E-numbers and low in sugar, fat and salt. But the products cannot veer from the accustomed taste experience – on the contrary, in this category foods have to tick all the boxes. More than that, they have to offer interesting new flavour experiences. The same goes for the consistency. Hydrosol’s core competencies are thus more in demand than ever before.”

Regional answers to trends

All of Hydrosol’s activities are based on the technological knowledge it has accumulated over almost three decades. The many labs with state-of-the-art equipment in Ahrensburg, as well as the Technology Centers in other markets like Mexico, Russia and the United States, are the basis for linking international trend concepts with local requirements. “We will continue to decentralise,” says Dr. Moser, adding, “simultaneously, we’re boosting our service and innovation by adding to our scientific, digital, commercial and qualitative core competencies.” One example in the scientific area is the separation of applications and innovation. This means that Hydrosol will continue to develop custom solutions for the applications and needs of its customers. At the same time, its scientists and technologists are working even more intensively on innovations that let customers make an impact on the market, or successfully enter new markets.

Clean and lean label products remain a major focus in the product portfolio, across all categories. In the milk area there is great potential in special products for children, especially in the “free from” area. In addition, the company’s technologists are working on texturing for products from cultivated meat as well as acellular milk proteins. Hydrosol’s stabilising and texturing expertise will play an important role in this future market. The company recently added to its Sabiprime MFD range for the expanding milk mixed beverages market. This helps dairies make a very diverse range of milk beverages for children and adults, from low-fat and reduced sugar to lactose-free to protein-rich and vitamin fortified.

“As a subsidiary of Stern-Wywiol Gruppe we have a key advantage over competitors – we’re owner-operated and independent, so we can respond quickly and flexibly to customer wishes,” notes Dr. Moser, adding, “the close collaboration with our sister companies offers additional possibilities for our customers. These advantages will further drive the growth of Hydrosol.”

 

Hamburg, April 2021 – The corona pandemic has caused major economic problems around the world, and some industries remain at a standstill. This is having a huge effect on consumer purchasing power. Lower-cost recipes are needed to ensure sufficient food supplies at affordable prices. Hydrosol has addressed this with the development of solutions for the cost-effective production of dairy, deli and meat and sausage products.

Cheese and milk products: Tasty and affordable
For toppings for hot dogs, pasta or convenience products, Hydrosol offers a stabilising system for making spreadable cheese analogues for squeeze tubes. The system gives a creamy mouthfeel even with just 20% cheese content, and the products can be eaten hot or cold. For example, they can be heated to about 40°C before eating, and adhere to warm pasta very well. Due to their high viscosity, the products can be filled and marketed in various kinds of tubes and squeeze packages.

From milk drinks and vegetable-based cream for whipping or cooking, to breakfast cream, to yogurt products for spoon eating or drinking, the Stabisol and Stabimuls series of functional systems offer a wide spectrum of possibilities for cost-reduced recipes. These include various pudding variations with creamy mouthfeel and satiny sheen. Using the systems, it is possible to make economical puddings based on skim milk and sweet whey powder using a continuous heat exchanger and high-pressure homogeniser. The texture of the end product can be adjusted by changing the filling temperature and dosage of the stabiliser system. Another special feature is that in combination with protein mixes from the Stabiprot series, manufacturers can also make premium products to satisfy the consumer demand for protein-rich puddings.

Affordable deli foods
Reduced-cost mayonnaises and bread spreads are further categories for which Hydrosol has developed economical formulations. One example is a sandwich spread with a reduced fat content of 40%. Its consistency is reminiscent of margarine, but the flavour has a fine butter note. It has advantages over butter – for one thing, a substantially lower fat content and the lower pricing that goes with it. For another, due to its low pH the product doesn’t need to be refrigerated. Other flavours are possible if desired by customers. Independently of that, the Stabimuls functional systems improve the mouthfeel and stability of the final products.

Cost-conscious solutions can also be provided for ketchup and other types of red sauces. A key factor in these is their tomato content, which can be reduced to give the most economical product possible. The resulting change in viscosity is compensated by the stabilising system, and by adding plant fibre if necessary. This makes it possible to manufacture sauces with various tomato and sugar contents. Production takes place with standard equipment, for example cooking vessels with stirrers.

Economical solutions for meat and sausage products
Hydrosol offers solutions for the meat processing industry which can improve the quality of meat and sausage products, as well as boosting continuity and dependability in production, even with varying meat quality. For example, economical recipes for sausages and cooked cured meats are simple to produce using all-in systems from the HydroTOP CS range. These are suitable for many different sausage products, from scalded sausage to large-diameter cold cuts like mortadella to grill sausages and bratwursts. They can also be used for cooked cured products. The formulations can be individually adjusted depending on the meat component. Furthermore, these functional systems work regardless of the kind of meat. They reduce cooking loss and boost yield, while improving texture and bite.

Fast cycle times and good processability are important in the production of convenience foods, especially in the meat industry. This makes it important to ensure good binding in the process, even with cost-effective recipes. With ground meat products like burger patties and meatballs, or regional variants like cevapcici, the HydroTOP Perfect range gives the final product better binding and so provides for higher consumer acceptance. The fried meat is juicier and the natural fibre structure is retained. Especially with pre-fried breaded chicken products, low cooking loss and crispy, intact breading are very important. The HydroTOP Perfect systems meet these requirements and also feature simple use. They can be added during mixing, without pre-emulsion or complicated process adjustments. This saves time in production, reduces weight loss in pre-cooking, and gives the end product the perfect bite at eating temperature.

 

Hamburg, February 2021 – Health is one of the strong drivers in the food market, now more than ever. The winners are products that combine health with indulgence. One example is the growing market for milk mixed beverages. In addition to trendy flavours, they address a wide range of consumer wishes, from low-fat and low-sugar to lactose-free to high-protein. With the new extended Stabiprime MFD range from Hydrosol, it’s easy to make all kinds of milk beverages, for adults and children alike.

The reduction of sugar and fat in foods is a subject of intense discussion around the world. There are restrictions in countries the world over, from sugar taxes to the red-yellow-green nutrition “stoplights” on foods. The main driver for this is the ominous increase in obesity on all five continents, which is linked to higher sugar consumption in particular.

But from a technological point of view, sugar and fat have many positive properties, as Katharina Schäfer, Product Manager Hydrosol, explains: “Sugar and fat give products flavour, body, texture and a pleasant mouth feel. Sugar also binds water and is readily soluble, while fat influences melting and is important for the body’s intake of fat-soluble vitamins. Replacing sugar with artificial or alternative sweeteners is generally not a viable option from a technical and flavour standpoint. The Stabiprime MFD product range can be used to make reduced-sugar milk mixed beverages for children, as well as many other attractive products. Trendy flavours like cappuccino, coconut and walnut that also appeal to adults supplement the classic cocoa beverages and milk drinks with vanilla, strawberry and banana flavour that kids like so much.”

Stabiprime MFD consists of carefully selected hydrocolloids. These stabilising systems are soluble in water as well as in sweet whey. They are easy to use, and enable economical production of milk mixed beverages. In addition to its proven Stabiprime MFDC system with carrageenan, Hydrosol also offers a gellan version, Stabiprime MFDG, which enables milk beverage filling even at high temperatures, up to 40°C. The main benefit of Stabiprime MFDC is that it lets manufacturers make stable products without high-pressure homogenisation. “We can produce our Stabiprime MFD products in Europe as well as the US, and have recently further improved the range. Our goal is to address further application areas and offer customers additional potential,” reports Katharina Schäfer. Another plus point: Thanks to its improved formulation, this stabilising system prevents sedimentation even in the most difficult cases, including with cocoa, where it keeps the particles in suspension. This makes it simple for manufacturers to make high-quality milk beverages for children and adults, while simultaneously meeting the requirements for modern sugar- and fat-reduced products. These can be enriched with vitamins and minerals, or offered as high-protein drinks.

Planteneers – The Plant Based Pioneers

The “plant-based revolution” is not just one of the dominant international food trends, it is also a very apt description of the development of Hydrosol. A specialist for stabilising and texturing systems, within just a few years the company has grown to become one of the key players in the burgeoning market for plant-based alternatives. Its product portfolio has expanded enormously, and last year this expertise was bundled in the newly founded Plant Based Competence Center. Now comes the next step. Hydrosol’s unit for plant-based has become an autonomous company, and as of 28 September, Planteneers – The Plant Based Pioneers – are the experts for plant-based alternatives within the Stern-Wywiol Gruppe. This new subsidiary builds on the success of Hydrosol, and is likewise led by Managing Director Dr. Matthias Moser.

Growth for both Hydrosol and Planteneers

“We intend to continue to grow with both companies,” emphasises Torsten Wywiol, CEO of the Stern-Wywiol Gruppe. “With that in mind, it will be important to focus on each of their strengths, and further build on them for both brands with the appropriate strategies in each case. That’s the reason we separated the plant-based field out of Hydrosol. To put it differently, our former ‘plant based baby’ has grown up and is ready to strike out on its own. We’re bundling its capabilities in a dedicated company.”

This is the perfect time, according to Dr. Moser: “The category of plant-based solutions for alternative forms of nutrition has already attained remarkable scale. But it still offers significant further growth opportunities, which we can make much better use of with a dedicated company and a focused strategy.” The conditions could not be more promising. According to A.T. Kearney, through 2040 worldwide revenue with plant-based alternatives to meat products will more than triple to USD 450 billion. For alternative dairy products, Future Market Insights prognisticates a doubling of the market volume through 2029 to around USD 34.6 billion. Plant-based is also rapidly becoming a new normal in out-of-home eating. “Through intensive research, creative ideas and tireless pioneering spirit, at Planteneers we intend to play an active role in shaping the future of the industry,” explains Dr. Moser. “We’re definitely moving beyond just stabilising and texturising. At Planteneers we’re concentrating on the development of trend product concepts in the growth categories.” The focus is on plant-based alternatives to meat, sausage and fish products, dairy products and deli foods, as well as hybrid products.

And Hydrosol? The company will continue to apply its proven innovative strength to its core business – the stabilisation and texturing of trend products for the dairy, meat and deli foods industry, an important area as the worldwide food industry pays more and more attention to texture in foods. This is particularly the case for categories like free from, clean label and lean label, which continue to see steadily rising demand.

Hydrosol’s expertise in stabilising and texturing naturally benefits its new sister company. Close communication between the technologists of both companies ensures that plant-based desserts have the desirable creamy texture and meat alternatives feature the familiar meaty bite. Through collaboration with the other Stern-Wywiol Gruppe subsidiaries, Planteneers can offer customers attractive system solutions from a single source, from stabilising and texturing to flavouring and fortification. Dr. Moser comments: “We’re positioning Planteneers as a cornerstone within the group.” Issues like environmental protection and animal welfare, as well as health, are currently the main drivers for consumer purchases of plant-based alternatives, and the growing world population is bringing a new dynamic to the field. “Plant-based alternatives are gaining enormously in importance. Planteneers is our clear commitment to this rapidly expanding category,” notes Dr. Moser. Torsten Wywiol adds, “with this new company we are developing attractive solutions and making an important contribution to the fast-growing market for foods from plant-based alternatives. It is our clear objective to establish this newest subsidiary successfully on the international market.”

For more information see: www.planteneers.com

Hamburg, July 2020 – The “plant-based revolution” is the term Innova Market Insights uses for the continuing worldwide boom in plant-based food and beverages. In the US and in Europe, for example, the demand for meat alternatives is rising rapidly. According to experts, one reason is that the Corona crisis has made many more consumers rethink their eating habits. In addition to health and enjoyment, safety, environment and animal welfare are becoming more and more important to consumers when buying foods.

Plant-based alternatives to meat, sausage and dairy products have long since gone mainstream, and fish alternatives are now the next big thing in vegan products. For Florian Bark, Hydrosol Product Manager, they are the “plant-based stars for 2020.” “The primary reasons for choosing plant-based substitute products are aspects like sustainability, animal welfare and climate change. This is where the fish alternatives come in. Environmental organisations advise cutting back on consumption of ocean fish, due to overfishing. Aspects like microplastic are further arguments.” Hydrosol has already developed various product ideas for this new segment. For example, with the HydroTOP VEGAN RB 5 full compound, plant-based alternatives to breaded fish sticks and fish filet can be made based on a rice texturate. Another new product is alternative tuna, which looks and tastes like canned tuna and can be used in many different ways.

Plant-based tuns from Hydrosol

Since 2014 the Hydrosol line of plant-based concepts for meat and sausage, dairy products, deli foods and convenience has expanded rapidly. Fish alternatives are among the latest new products from the Plant-Based Competence Center. “Plant-based alternatives to fish products are just a step away from going mainstream,” says Florian Bark. “Many manufacturers are looking to us for new concepts in this category, which has enormous sales potential.”

Exclusive texturates with structure similar to muscle tissue

Hamburg, May 2020 – Plant-based alternatives to meat and sausage remain in high demand by consumers, and this interest and the trend to this product category have scarcely been affected by the current corona crisis. On the contrary, awareness of the importance of sustainable and balanced nutrition is rising, worldwide. Industry experts expect to see continuous growth in plant-based alternative products in the coming years. “Whether for ethical or environmental reasons, reduced meat consumption is the future of the food industry. This is even more important in view of the need to supply a growing world population with sustainably sourced, protein-rich meat alternatives,” explains Dr. Matthias Moser, Managing Director Hydrosol.

This specialist for stabilising and texturing systems is now working in close collaboration with raw materials supplier All Organic Treasures (AOT). The goal of the cooperation is to combine the expertise of both companies and offer customers in the plant-based meat alternative space a wider range of products with individualised and exclusive solutions. The focus is on allergen- and GMO-free protein sources with a positive image, like sunflower. According to Fabian Breisinger, Managing Director AOT, “Our own Sunflower Family brand is already successful in food retail with the SonnenblumenHACK® product. We have built a special reputation and capabilities in the area of sunflower protein-based vegan products, like burger ready mixes. Our plant-based proteins, especially Heliaflor®, are derived through the partial de-oiling of high-quality raw materials. During production we take special care to protect their beneficial properties. As a result, our products retain their native protein structure and content of important nutrients like B vitamins, secondary plant substances and minerals. This distinguishes them from conventional protein products. The functional properties, especially those of our sunflower protein, are further significantly affected only by the production process.”

The proteins are a by-product of sunflower oil manufacture, so there are clear advantages in terms of sustainability. Hydrosol uses three different texturates for the production of meat and sausage alternatives – a dry texturate for plant-based mince like burger patties, a dry texturate with fibrous texture for foods like nuggets, and a wet texturate with a structure similar to muscle tissue for plant-based filet strips. “Plant-based muscle tissue alternatives remain a big challenge for the industry,” notes Hydrosol Product Manager Florian Bark. “Their authentic meatlike structure gives wet texturates from plant protein great potential. With the expertise of AOT as manufacturer of these sunflower protein wet texturates, and our knowledge of stabilisation and texturing of plant-based meat alternatives, we can develop a broad spectrum of individual product solutions that give our customers unique selling propositions on the market.” Another plus point is that the texturates are available in conventional as well as organic versions.

There remains the challenge of getting the colour and flavour of the sunflower texturates just right, for example to avoid unpleasant aftertastes. “Sunflower texturates are naturally dark. For sausages, burgers and other ground meat alternatives that’s not a problem, in fact it’s a benefit. But for nuggets or filet strips that are supposed to be like chicken, a light colour is naturally preferable. We can adjust for this very well through combination with other protein concentrates. In our Plant Based Competence Center we have already been getting very good results in a range of application tests,” reports Florian Bark.

The foundation for the collaboration by AOT and Hydrosol was laid last year. At the IFFA, Hydrosol presented burger patties based on a sunflower texturate from AOT for the first time. Hydrosol is the exclusive sales partner for this burger patty in the food retail convenience products category and the food service and catering segment. With the future blending of the knowledge of both companies, Hydrosol will go a step further and work closely with AOT right from the development of texturates. “This way we can create exactly the texturates that our industry customers need for their final products. This exclusivity is of immense benefit to all concerned,” reports Florian Bark. Dr. Moser adds, “At a time when meatless products are steadily gaining importance, we want to use German and European raw materials to bring to market sustainable products that are free of soy and wheat. The collaboration with a company like AOT, with its extensive expertise in the sustainable manufacture of plant-based proteins, is thus a logical step for our future portfolio growth.”

Hamburg, March 2020 – Sustainability, healthy lifestyle and natural functionality are the big trends on international markets this year. This was the conclusion drawn from a survey of around 150 attendees from more than 60 countries who recently came together at Hydrosol’s Sales Network Meeting in Hamburg. Every two years, this specialist for stabilising and texturing systems invites its worldwide employees and sales partners to a Sales Network Meeting. One of the goals is to present the current trends and expectations in the different markets, along with innovative product concepts to address them. According to this year’s attendees the plant-based trend continues to have extraordinary potential around the world. Hydrosol CEO Dr Matthias Moser notes, “We reacted to the growing demand for plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy products some years ago, and continue to develop solutions for this market segment. We recently bundled our expertise in research and development, marketing and sales in our new Plant-Based Competence Center. This lets us respond to the varied and at the same time very specific wishes of our customers much better and much more precisely.”

In presenting new developments and examples of successful products for plant-based alternatives to dairy, deli foods, and meat and sausage products, Hydrosol’s specialists underlined the importance of the “plant-based revolution,” as Innova Market Insights called it in this year’s Top Trends. Hydrosol’s sister companies OlbrichtArom and SternVitamin contributed information about additional value creation potential through flavouring and through enrichment with selected micronutrients, respectively.

Free-from promises further growth

In addition to plant-based alternatives, the large field of “free-from” products is another growth driver on the market. Whether free from lactose, gluten or soy, with less sugar, salt and fat, or free from animal ingredients, the free-from trend and the plant-based segment have turned into an important market for differentiated products. The primary motivation driving consumers’ purchases of these clean and clear-label products is indulgence with a good conscience. Consumers want to treat themselves well, act sustainably, boost their own health, and preserve resources and the environment. Indulgence plays a decisive role in the success of food products, and simply removing certain ingredients from a recipe can quickly ruin a food’s appeal. Addressing the desire for indulgence takes deep food technology expertise and creativity in the use of the different ingredients.

“Consumers are more and more aware of certain ingredients. For example, phosphates are frequently criticised as being a risk for people with kidney disease,” says Dr. Moser. “At the event we presented to our Sales Network Partners products in every category that don’t contain phosphates, yet meet accustomed consumer preferences. Sugar reduction is another important free-from topic – everywhere in the world there are foods people can’t resist, because they love the taste and texture. Sugar-reduced products need to offer the same indulgence if they are going to have sustained market success.”

Building on growth with new solutions

Plant-based meat and dairy alternatives have long since become fixtures in mass markets, and for many consumers they are established parts of a balanced diet. Plant-based alternatives to fish filets, fish sticks and tuna fish salad are just a further step. Here again Hydrosol offers solutions. “We recently added plant-based alternatives to breaded fish products and bread spreads like tuna deli foods,” reports Dr Moser. “Taste testing at the Sales Network Meeting showed that these products definitely have what it takes, and most of the attendees would be willing to present the solutions to interested customers right away.”

Plant-based and free-from will remain major growth drivers at Hydrosol. In addition to the new products it presented, the company also offers preservatives and injection systems that make Hydrosol an all-round provider for meat and meat products, as well as stabilising systems for dairy products, deli foods and convenience foods. On this broad basis, in 2019 the company generated worldwide growth of 30 percent. With its trend-driven concepts, this year Hydrosol is working towards further 15 percent growth. The new Plant-Based Competence Center will play a key role.

Hamburg, February 2020 – A look at current sales figures and growth projections quickly reveals the importance of plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy products. “The plant-based revolution” is not just one of this year’s top trends according to Innova Market Insights, it’s also a rapidly expanding category in food retail. Worldwide, the market for plant-based products is showing double-digit growth. However, consumer expectations are rising commensurately. In addition to flavour, texture and indulgence, a short ingredients list is also increasingly important, as is the absence of soy and other allergenic ingredients. Accordingly, Hydrosol has long been using other plant protein sources instead of soy.

 

Meat alternatives with peas, potatoes or fava beans
“Due to the GMO issue and its allergenic potential the demand for soy in Europe is declining sharply,” says Florian Bark, Product Manager at Hydrosol. “In its place, protein sources like peas, potatoes and fava beans are coming to the fore, along with newer sources like chickpeas, sunflower and algae. For example, we use these proteins in our plant-based meat and sausage alternatives.” Allergen- and soy-free stabilising and texturing systems based on potato and pea protein can be used to make a wide range of products, from cold cuts to salami to bacon.

For plant-based convenience foods, Hydrosol offers its HydroTOP VEGAN Patty PP range, based on fava bean and pea protein, and free of soy, wheat and other allergens. Together with the plant-based texturate it enables users to make vegan burger patties that are very similar to meat products in taste, texture and mouth feel. The plant-based nuggets made with HydroTOP VEGAN Patty PP and a rice texturate likewise feature a meat-like structure with appealing bite. They have the familiar white colour of chicken nuggets. With the HydroTOP VEGAN Patty range, Hydrosol provides a modular system that can be used to serve the convenience market with a wide variety of plant-based foods.

 

Plant-based alternatives to dairy products – mostly soy-free
For a long time now Hydrosol has been using mostly soy-free stabilising and texturing systems for the broad spectrum of plant alternatives to dairy products. Successful examples include desserts based on almond and coconut drinks. A functional system of modified starch, hydrocolloids and plant fibre lets manufacturers make a tasty pudding, and can also be used to make fermented desserts. In the milk drink category, sunflower and oat alternatives are possible.

A new item in the portfolio is a plant alternative to sour cream that cannot be told from the original – and is just as versatile. This plant-based sour cream is free of e-numbers, as well as being entirely soy-free. At FI Europe in Paris Hydrosol staged the product in a memorably way. Together with sister company Deutsche Back it developed a soy- and gluten-free vegan tarte flambée, with gluten-free crust, plant-based sour cream and vegan bacon. “The tarte flambée was a great success, and many visitors were immediately won over by the taste of our sour cream,” reports Product Manager Katharina Schäfer.

Hamburg, November 2019 – Plant-based alternatives to meat, sausage and dairy products have gone mainstream. Vegan products are getting more and more retail shelf space, and are the basis for new concepts in the out of home market. According to Innova Market Insights, in the last few years products marked “plant-based” and “100 percent plant-based” have experienced annual growth of 60 percent. Market researchers prognosticate continued growth going forward, among other things through new ideas in the trend category of snacking.

The reason for the steadily rising demand for vegan products is a cultural shift in eating habits, according to Innova Market Insights, as consumers are much more careful about what they buy. They are paying more attention not only to their own health, but also to issues like sustainability, animal welfare and climate change. Hydrosol saw the potential of plant-based foods early on, and in 2014 the company marketed the first functional systems for making plant-based alternatives to cheese and sausage. Since then its portfolio of innovative product ideas has grown enormously, and today Hydrosol is an established international expert for plant-based alternatives. With the formation of the Plant-based Competence Centre the company has now bundled all of its expertise in a creative pool. Here, product managers, nutritionists, food technologists and marketing specialists develop creative concepts to address the trends in international markets. “In our stabilising and texturing system concepts we have long combined market trend knowledge with scientific and technological understanding. Our new Plant-based Competence Center is a seedbed for innovative food concepts with high future potential, as well as a dialogue platform for our customers,” notes Hydrosol Managing Director Dr Matthias Moser.

Protein knowledge for market success

New protein sources play a key role in the development of plant-based alternatives. The success of a plant-based product depends to a large degree on how close it comes to meat products in taste and texture. Here, tradition, experience and habit remain the determining factors. Consumers will accept alternative products only if they possess the accustomed characteristics of the meat products they replace. In other words, plant-based yes, as long as it looks and tastes like animal-based. This is not anticipated to change substantially in the foreseeable future.

The choice of plant proteins is very important in meeting the expectations of consumers, as Dr Dorotea Pein, Director of Product Management at Hydrosol, explains: “A detailed knowledge of the available protein sources is essential. Not only are more and more vegan foods available, there is a wider range of plant proteins to choose from. In addition to soy there is now also a multitude of other options, from familiar sources like peas, rice and coconut to newcomers like sunflowers and rapeseed. But not every protein is suited to every application.”

When characterising a new protein, Hydrosol first tests its sensory and rheological properties. Other criteria are the microbiological count, allergenic potential, compliance with hygienic standards and certified processes, as well as price and availability. If the protein meets all these criteria, it goes into testing. “We’ve done hundreds of application tests and have built up a solid and growing database on the characteristics of different proteins. This wealth of experience is the foundation of our new Plant-based Competence Center,” says Dr Pein. “There, we advise customers on the ideal choice of proteins, and also on trends, flavouring and nutritional enrichment. We work closely with our sister companies, in order to supply stabilisation and texturing while also addressing other aspects like the ideal micronutrient profile and trending flavour combinations. Our goal is not just to give our customers ideas for plant-based alternative products, but to deliver concepts with added value.” This is important in view of the growing world population, as the future supply of safe, affordable, appetising foods is one of if not the central challenge of our time.

Ahrensburg, November 2019 – The manufacture of one kilogram of cheese results in nine kilograms of whey as a by-product. The amount of whey left over is correspondingly high in cheese-making countries. The US is in the lead with over 48 million tonnes per year, followed by Brazil, Turkey and Russia with five to seven million tonnes. Given these volumes, which have risen steadily over the years, dairies are faced with a major challenge, since disposing of whey is just as costly as converting it into powder. Hydrosol now gives cheese makers new possibilities. With Stabisol JOC stabiliser and texturing systems, rennet and acid whey can profitably be made into new products.

Whey contains 0.8 percent protein. Whey protein is recognised as having very good nutritional properties, and is actually nutritionally superior to protein from whole milk or soy. This is a big part of the reason why this dairy product has had a positive image as a healthy food for some years. Cheese makers can now benefit from these advantages while making good use of their surplus whey. Hydrosol’s new functional systems turn whey into a wide range of new products. For example, rennet whey can be used as a basis for pudding desserts, drinks, fermented desserts and sour cream. Acid whey can be used to make alternatives to yogurt. “Acid whey is a special challenge for cheese producers, because processing it is technologically much more demanding than for rennet whey,” explained Dr. Dorotea Pein, Head of Product Management at Hydrosol. “After intensive research and many application tests, we have succeeded in developing an ingredient complex that makes it possible to market acid whey profitably.”

Whether made of rennet or acid whey, the end products feature appealing mouth feel and creamy texture. “The fat content of the products can be adjusted either with normal milk fat in the form of cream, or with vegetable fat,” said Dr. Pein. “The desired viscosity can be achieved using our highly functional stabiliser and texturing systems.” Like yogurt, the whey alternatives can be mixed with various ingredients, such as flavourings and colours added at the beginning of the manufacturing process or fruit preparations added before filling. Through its close cooperation with its sister companies in the Stern-Wywiol Gruppe, Hydrosol can offer its customers individual solutions in this area. With its sister company OlbrichtArom, stabiliser specialist Hydrosol can also offer all-in compounds that include customer-specific flavouring.

Hamburg, September 2019 – Hydrosol, a leading international supplier of stabilising and texturing systems, is focusing on “free from” solutions at this year’s Food Ingredients Europe (booth 6D90). These include new concepts for melted cheese preparations and for plant-based alternatives to dairy, deli and meat products. Declaration-friendly preservatives for meat products is another category the company is addressing.

Processed cheese preparations without added phosphates

Whether spreadable or in slices, processed cheese is an established product worldwide. But the phosphates in the melting salts are under fire for causing health problems, first and foremost osteoporosis, but also a heightened risk of heart attack and stroke in certain groups.

Hydrosol has therefore developed formulations that don’t need added phosphates. They are ideal for stabilising the cheese-melt preparations that are so popular with families. These “free from” products offer characteristics similar to standard products – they can be offered as spreadable cheese, in triangular packages or eaten as slices on burgers or toast.

Clean label solutions for plant-based products

Plant-based alternatives to dairy and meat products are especially strong growth drivers in the food market. But vegetarian at any price is no longer the sole priority. More and more consumers also want to see a short ingredients list with the fewest possible E-numbers. At FI Europe Hydrosol is presenting new solutions for plant-based products. Inspirations in the dairy and deli categories offer vegan alternatives to sour cream, dessert, mayonnaise and a burger condiment. All four products are all-vegetable and clean label, and exemplify the comprehensive expertise that Hydrosol has built up in the past years in the area of plant proteins. Based on this deep knowledge, Hydrosol has been able in many other systems to replace E-numbered additives with declaration-friendly ingredients.

Hydrosol also helps keep E-numbers out of vegetarian alternatives to meat and sausage. The HydroTOP VEGAN SF series is a good example of this. This allergen- and soy-free system based on potato and pea protein lets customers make a wide range of products, from cold cuts and salami to bacon. Hydrosol has improved the system so that per application there is only one E-number. Products for eating hot only have at most two declarable additives.

Vegan burger patties are another category Hydrosol works in, with the all-in compound HydroTOP VEGAN Patty PP. Based on fava bean and pea protein, it is free of soy, wheat and other allergens. With its sunflower-based texturate, it enables users to make vegan burger patties with just one E-number. The resulting patties are amazingly similar to meat products in flavour, texture and mouthfeel. Fair visitors can taste them for themselves at the ProVeg International cooking show on Tuesday, 3 December at 12:00.

Declaration-friendly preservation of meat products

Declarable preservatives are often used as preservatives for meat products. A new preservative in the Hydrolon range is based on dry vinegar as a functional ingredient, making it declaration-friendlier than the acetate and lactate often used. The raw materials in the mix are perfectly balanced to prevent bacterial growth and keep the colour of meat products stable. There is no negative sensory effect on the end product, making this preservative ideal as a brine and tumbler additive and as a cutter aid.

Free from tarte flambée: Focus topic in culinary staging

At the shared booth 6D90 of the Stern-Wywiol Gruppe fair visitors can experience “free from” culinarily. Together with sister company Deutsche Back the company is presenting a jointly developed product – FreeFromFlammkuchen (free from tarte flambée). It consists of a gluten tarte flambée crust coated with an almond-based sour cream and a vegetable alternative to bacon.

deftiger Flammkuchen

With FreeFromFlammkuchen Hydrosol is once again demonstrating its leading role as an innovation driver in the stabilising and texturing systems market. This culinary staging is an example of the close collaboration among the twelve sister companies within the Stern-Wywiol Gruppe, from which customers also benefit.

Ahrensburg, September 2019 – At this year’s Gulfood Manufacturing in Dubai, Hydrosol is focusing on sugar-reduced milk beverages and trending plant-based products like burger patties and burger condiments. As further highlights, the company is presenting new stabilising and texturing systems for making high-quality mayonnaise. At booth S3-E24 visitors can experience the authentic flavour and texture of the products for themselves.

Milk drinks: Less sugar, same enjoyment

Given the worrying increase in obesity around the globe, reducing the amount of sugar in foods and beverages is a major issue worldwide. More and more governments are demanding low sugar products or introducing sugar taxes. But sugar isn’t just a matter of taste. It also gives products body, texture and a pleasant mouth feel. These are the effects that Hydrosol’s individual stabilising and texturing systems address. They are suitable for many different applications – yogurt, drinking yogurt, pudding, refreshing fruity drinks, energy drinks, ketchup, whippable plant cream with reduced sugar content, and more. Natural flavourings round out the flavour profile. Hydrosol’s sister company OlbrichtArom, also exhibiting at Gulfood, offers its SugarBooster for reduced-sugar products. This natural flavouring amplifies the delicate taste profile of the final product without influencing its characteristic flavour.

New to the product range are stabilising systems for very diverse milk mixed beverages, from conventional varieties like cocoa, vanilla and strawberry to trendy flavours like cappuccino, walnut and pistacio. These proven systems are offered in a carrageenan version, which enables stable products without high-pressure homogenisation, as well as in an alternative version with gellan. This lets milk beverages be filled at high temperatures, up to 40°C. The stabilising systems in the Stabiprime MFD Range are soluble in water as well as in sweet whey. They can be used for the manufacture of sugar-reduced as well as low-fat or lactose-free milk beverages. High-protein milk drinks are also possible.

New ideas for plant-based burgers

Hydrosol has developed the all-in compound HydroTOP VEGAN Patty WSP as a response to the growing worldwide demand for vegan meat alternatives. Based on wheat and soy protein, it lets customers make attractively priced vegan burger patties that are amazingly similar to meat products in taste, texture and mouthfeel. Hydrosol is presenting a new plant-based burger condiment to go with it, and at the show visitors can taste-test both products right at the booth. The same goes for the new 80 percent fat mayonnaise. The Stabimuls MSA functional system gives a nice, creamy system that does not gel.

Making poultry products economically

Poultry products are the world’s fastest-growing meat category, and Hydrosol has developed a wide range of solutions for them. These include injection brines for fresh chicken meat which give increased moistness and tenderness, with outstanding brine retention and individually adjustable yield. These brine additives can be combined with our preservatives in order to get the desired shelf life to fit the needs of the respective market. The preservatives can also be used for any other meat products.

Hamburg, September 2019 – Plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy products are market growth drivers. But to be successful, plant-based products have to offer consumers convincing flavour and texture. At this year’s SupplySide West in Las Vegas, Hydrosol, one of the world’s leading suppliers of stabilising and texturing systems, is presenting the latest generation of functional systems and all-in compounds for making plant-based burger patties, cold cuts and sausages, as well as vegan alternatives to pizza cheese, cream cheese and sour cream. At Booth #4767, visitors can get many new inspirations.

From burgers to bacon, a wide range of meat alternatives

In the meat category, Hydrosol is focusing on popular products like plant-based burger patties. These can be based on wheat or soy protein and made using Hyrosol’s proven stabilising and texturing systems, or in allergen-free versions using HydroTOP VEGAN Patty PP. The system is based on fava bean and pea protein and also contains a sunflower-based texturate. It enables users to make vegan burger patties that are amazingly similar to meat products in taste, texture and mouthfeel. Another plus point is that with just one E-number, it meets the trend towards declaration-friendly products. With or without soy, these all-in compounds are suitable for many vegan products, from meatball alternatives to vegan cevapcici. They are freeze/thaw-stable and can be worked into ready meals with no problems. Other products for plant-based meat alternatives are all-in compounds for making vegan cold cuts like salami, bacon, and plant-based sausages for eating hot or cold. Nuggets, schnitzel, fish sticks and other breaded products are also possible. Visitors can experience the high quality of these products at the Tasting Bar (Expo Hall, Booth #5921), where Hydrosol will be offering samples of vegan pepperoni.

hydrosol-produkte-kaese-analog-kaese

Vegan dairy alternatives for American foods

Pizza, bagels, burgers – Hydrosol has developed plant-based ingredients for the American classics, including pepperoni and a pizza topping that can substitute for cheese. Like traditional pizza cheese, this vegan product has very good melt properties, which is not always the case with vegan alternatives. This plant-based topping is also stringy when hot, a critical factor for cheese intended for melted toppings. In the cream cheese category Hydrosol offers a texturing system that can be used to make vegan bagel spreads, plain or with herbs or other additional ingredients.

Hydrosol’s vegan sour cream alternative is an answer to the growing consumer demand for clean label products. This plant-based sour cream is free of e-numbers, and the taste is indistinguishable from the animal product. It is based on an almond drink and coconut fat. Together with a Hydrosol stabilising and texturing system, it gives a topping for burgers and burritos or a dip for potato wedges and chips.

In recent years Hydrosol has made a name for itself as a source of full-service solutions for plant-based products that sell well. At SupplySide West the company will show highlights like its all-in package for vegetarian burgers. It contains meatless burger patties, bacon, and a sauce that uses no egg yolk, plus a vegan sliced cheese alternative that melts easily and harmonises well with the final product.

Hamburg, August 2019 – “With the growing world population, supplying future generations with safe, affordable and good-tasting foods is one of the major challenges of our time,” declares Dr Matthias Moser, Managing Director Hydrosol. In The Stabiliser People, which the company brought out to mark its 25th anniversary, Hydrosol talks about conceivable solutions and why the food ingredients industry plays a key role.

The book discusses developments in the food and nutrition industries in the past 25 years, and presents key upcoming trends. For example, trend researcher Hanni Rützler talks about our culinary future in an interview. What foods will be on tomorrow’s menus? How will we eat meals? And what drivers are pushing innovations in food technology? Rützler, the well-known author of the annual Food Report, answers these and other questions. The book provides practical examples, focusing on forward-looking product ideas in the dairy, meat and sausage, deli foods and dessert categories, along with plant-based alternatives. Readers also get a close look at Hydrosol research and development, and the authors discuss the various product quality requirements of different national markets. Visual presentations of market research on current and future nutrition trends add more interest.

Throughout the many topics addressed by the book, whether food trends or research, feeding the growing world population and the importance of the ingredients industry are never far from the focus of interest. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, by 2050 demand for meat will increase by a time and a half to 420 million tonnes per year, requiring a 60 to 110 percent increase in agricultural output. With this in mind, the importance of alternative protein sources quickly becomes clear. Dr Moser comments, “For some time now we’ve been working hard on ideas with high potential to secure adequate supplies of alternative proteins in future. It’s no exaggeration to say that in the past three years we have turned into a competence centre for stabilising and texturing in this area. We’re researching the properties and functions of many different plant proteins. We’re also looking at sustainable concepts for making better use of raw materials, because there is valuable protein not just in filet, but also in by-products like trimmings or whey.”

As diverse as the product concepts are, to be successful on the market there is one criterion they all must meet – they have to taste good. “Ultimately only flavour and texture determine whether a product is purchased more than once,” notes Dr Moser. “A vegan product can have great protein content, be super healthy and trendy – but if people don’t enjoy eating it, they won’t buy it again. So in my view food technology will be one of the key technologies of the 21st century. It’s functional ingredients that make it possible to turn natural, sustainably grown raw materials into attractive products for consumers in all the different international markets. With our system solutions it’s already possible to make plant-based products that come very close to the flavour, texture and mouth feel of animal products.”

It is a fact that food is a very emotional matter, now more than ever; according to trend research it is also more and more a status symbol. The resulting potential for the food industry is clearly shown in Hydrosol – The Stabiliser People, published in German, English, Spanish and Russian by Robert Wenzel Verlag.

More at: http://www.robert-wenzel.de/de/programm.html

 

Hamburg, July 2019 – Demand for flavoured milk beverages is seeing steady growth worldwide, and the product variety in the markets is correspondingly large. There are trendy flavours like cappuccino, coconut and walnut that also appeal to adults, plus the classic cocoa beverages and milk drinks with vanilla, strawberry or banana flavour. In addition to tasting good, they address a wide range of consumer wishes, from low fat and reduced sugar to lactose free to high protein. With the new Stabiprime MFD range from Hydrosol, it’s easy to make all kinds of milk beverages.

Stabiprime MFD consists of carefully selected hydrocolloids. These stabilising systems are soluble in water as well as in sweet whey. They are easy to use, and make it economical to produce milk mixed beverages. In addition to the proven system with carrageenan, Hydrosol also offers a gellan alternative, Stabiprime MFDG. Its advantage is that it enables milk beverage filling even at high temperatures, up to 40°C. The main property of Stabiprime MFDC with carrageenan is that it lets manufacturers make stable products without high-pressure homogenisation, preventing sedimentation even with cocoa. Thanks to the special combination of hydrocolloids in both Stabiprime MFD versions, producers can make high-quality milk beverages easily and profit from the worldwide growth in this category.

Hamburg, May 2019 – Demand for plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy products is rising around the world. But plant-based products can be successful only if they offer consumers convincing flavour and texture. At this year’s IFT Food Expo in New Orleans, Hydrosol, one of the world’s leading suppliers of stabilising and texturing systems, is presenting the latest generation of functional systems and all-in compounds for making plant-based burger patties, cold cuts and sausages, as well as vegan alternatives to pizza cheese, cream cheese and sour cream. Hydrosol is exhibiting at the SternMaid Ingredients booth No. 2550, where trade visitors can find custom solutions for new product ideas.

Burgers, meatballs, bacon – a wide range of meat alternatives
In the meat category, Hydrosol is focusing on popular products like plant-based burger patties. One of its feature products for the Expo is HydroTOP VEGAN Patty PP. What makes this stabilising and texturing system special is that fact that it is free of soy, wheat and other allergens. It’s based on fava bean and pea protein and also contains a sunflower-based texturate, and enables users to make vegan burger patties that are amazingly similar to meat products in taste, texture and mouthfeel. Another plus point is that since it has just one E-number, it aligns with the trend towards declaration-friendly products.

In addition to this allergen-free vegan functional system, Hydrosol also offers proven systems based on wheat and soy protein with wheat texturate, that give extraordinarily delicious burger patties. These all-in compounds are also suitable for many other vegan products, from meatball alternatives to vegan cevapcici. They are freeze/thaw-stable and can be worked into ready meals with no problems.

Other products for plant-based meat alternatives are all-in compounds for making vegan cold cuts and bacon, and plant-based sausages for eating hot or cold. Nuggets, schnitzel, fish sticks and other breaded products are also possible.

Vegan alternatives to dairy products for US eating habits
To meet the rising demand for vegan dairy alternatives, at IFT Hydrosol is presenting a number of product ideas that address American preferences. The company offers a variety of plant-based ingredients for favourites like pizza, bagels and burgers, including a pizza topping that can substitute for cheese. Like traditional pizza cheese, this vegan product has very good melt properties, which is not always the case with vegan alternatives. The plant-based topping is also stringy when hot, a critical factor for cheese intended for melted toppings. In the cream cheese category, from plant proteins Hydrosol has developed a texturing system that can be used to make vegan bagel spreads. These are very close to real cream cheese in taste and texture, and have an equally wide range of uses, plain or with herbs or other additional ingredients.

A vegan alternative to sour cream that cannot be told from the original – one of Hydrosol’s answers to the growing consumer demand for clean label products. This plant-based sour cream is free of e-numbers, and is based on almond drink and coconut fat. Together with a Hydrosol stabilising and texturing system, it gives a sour cream alternative that is perfect as a topping for burgers and burritos or a dip for potato wedges and chips.

In many markets Hydrosol is already an established source of full-service solutions. The company is also making its mark at the IFT, among other things with its all-in package for purely plant-based burgers. This contains burger patties, bacon, and a sauce that uses no egg yolk, plus a vegan sliced cheese alternative that melts easily and harmonises well with the final product. Sister company SternVitamin provides suitable micronutrient premixes to fortify vegan alternative products. Visitors can learn more about this and other profitable products at the IFT booth No. 2550.

Hamburg, April 2019 – Incredible Burgers, Beyond Burgers – demand for vegan meat alternatives is exploding. Accordingly, Hydrosol has expanded its already wide range of vegan, plant-based products, and one of its new products is HydroTOP VEGAN Patty PP. What’s special about this stabilising system is that it is free of soy, wheat and other allergens. It is based on fava bean and pea protein. Together with the sunflower-based texturate, it enables users to make vegan burger patties that are amazingly similar to meat products in taste, texture and mouthfeel. Another plus point is that since it has just one E-number, this stabilising system aligns with the declaration-friendly product trend. Hydrosol is looking for worldwide distribution partners for this innovative product concept, and is definitely willing to consider exclusive cooperation models.

In addition to this allergen-free vegan functional system, Hydrosol naturally offers proven systems, based on wheat and soy protein with wheat texturate, that give exceptionally delicious burger patties. These all-in compounds are also suitable for many other vegan products, from meatball and köfte alternatives to vegan rissoles and cevapcici. They are freeze/thaw-stable and can be worked into ready meals with no problems. IFFA visitors can learn more about Hydrosol’s products at Booth B 81, Hall 12.1.

Hamburg, March 2019 – Today’s consumers think nothing of eating meat or sausage one day and plant-based alternatives the next. Meat producers are adding vegetarian and vegan products to their product lines, but regardless of whether they are meat or meatless, foods can be successful only if they have the taste and texture consumers want. That’s where Hydrosol helps. This provider of all-in solutions for meat and sausage products and vegetable-based alternatives is presenting its expanded product range for industrial and artisan producers at this year’s IFFA. Solutions range from stabilisation and texturing, to seasoning and freshness preservation, to sausage casings and breading, with the focus on plant-based trend products and “free from” solutions.

Current consumer trends show that plant-based alternatives remain a topic of great interest, in part because they have clear advantages over meat in terms of sustainability and animal welfare. Accordingly, Hydrosol is continuing to expand its range of plant-based vegan products. One example is the HydroTOP VEGAN SF series. This allergen- and soy-free system based on potato and pea protein helps manufacturers make a wide range of products, from cold cuts and salami to bacon. The system also makes it easy to produce plant-based snack foods. This lets food manufacturers meet the rising demand for healthy, good-tasting snacks and position themselves in a further growth segment.

“The Plant Kingdom” is one of the top trends of 2019 according to Innova Market Insights, and is also influencing conventional meat products. Ground meat and sausage specialities enriched with grains and superfoods like legumes or seeds have a healthy image, and appeal to new target groups. Hydrosol has developed the HydroTOP High Gel range for these meat and vegetable hybrid products as well as for all-vegetable burgers. It lets marketers emphasise ecological and ethical benefits, along with economic advantages. The High Gel range can also be used to make fish alternatives.

Another plus point is that the High Gel range simplifies the manufacture of reduced-fat products, addressing another strong trend that has high social relevance given the drastic worldwide increase in obesity. Along with fat reduction, salt reduction is also becoming more and more of an issue. Hydrosol has developed functional systems that enable the manufacture of sodium-reduced sausage and red and white meat products. The company is also presenting new developments for freshness preservation. IFFA visitors can learn more about these and other highlights of Hydrosol’s portfolio at Booth B 81, Hall 12.1.

Hamburg, February 2019 – According to Innova Market Insights, snacking will continue to be one of the leading trends in the food industry. For example, 83 percent of millennials snack instead of eating big meals, due to time constraints. Sausage is a classic snack, whether as hot dog, currywurst or salami stick, whether meat or plant-based. Hydrosol has developed the perfect casing for all these sausages – SmartCasings based on alginate. By means of co-extrusion sausages can be made in all standard sizes.

SmartCasings are a small revolution in sausage-making. A liquid alginate layer is applied to the sausage mass and then hardened into a firm structure in a calcium bath. The result is a strong and edible casing that gives sausages a crisp bite. What’s more, this casing is and will remain available in unlimited quantity, and also offers processing advantages. “The stabilising system is based on a complex mix of highly reactive hydrocolloids and starch. Synergistic effects upon exposure to a calcium chloride solution lead to the formation of a casing with good elasticity and tensile strength,” explains Hydrosol Product Manager Florian Bark.

Stabilisation and “packaging” from a single source
SmartCasings are suitable for fresh bratwurst, raw sausage and scalded sausage. They are highly tear-resistant, and with raw sausages in particular they give a pleasantly soft bite. The technology can also be made to work very well for scalded sausages, as Florian Bark reports: “Scalded sausages are a special challenge, as they are exposed to damp heat both during manufacture and later during preparation. So the casing needs to be not just tear-resistant, but also adhere to the sausage mass after cooking. To make sure it does, the sausages are cooked not by hanging in steam, but instead in a water bath using a special technique.”

For best results, the casing and sausage mass should be well adapted to each other. This is true for all product categories, but especially for scalded sausage. “Here, our long experience in stabilising sausages is a great benefit, as in addition to the casing we can always offer the right stabilisation for the sausage mass. We take into account the specific phosphate content, salt content and viscosity of the mass. Thus, we offer the entire package for sausage-making, inside and out.”

Advantages of alginate casing
SmartCasings offer many advantages over conventional sausage casings. They permit a continuous manufacturing process, which results in low production costs. With SmartCasings there is no wastage or rework from intestine changes. Alginate cases also enable higher hourly throughput than is possible with conventional filling technology. The highly automated production technique requires less manual intervention and so has lower personnel costs. Furthermore, unlike cellulose casings there is no peeling step. There are also savings in material costs, as alginate casings are substantially more economical than natural intestine, collagen and cellulose casings.

Hydrosol SmartCasings also have another advantage – they are supplied as a powder. This gives them a much longer shelf life than finished pastes, rendering preservatives superfluous. Transportation and storage costs are also much lower with powder than with pastes. The SmartCasing powder can be made into a paste at any time. Hydrosol currently offers two powder versions, SmartCasing M as the standard version with animal protein and SmartCasing VR for vegetarian and vegan sausages. Hydrosol SmartCasings are available in halal and kosher versions.

Hamburg, December 2018 – In 1993 Hydrosol entered the market with just one product. Since then, this Stern-Wywiol Gruppe subsidiary has grown to become an internationally leading provider of system solutions in the ingredients business. The company makes hundreds of stabilising and texturing systems for all sorts of applications and markets, and signs point to further growth going forward. Because as Hydrosol CEO Dr Matthias Moser explains, food technology is one of the key technologies and influencer industries of the 21st century.

New ideas, new markets – a slogan under which Hydrosol develops and produces tailor-made stabiliser and texturing systems for dairy, meat, sausage and fish products, deli foods, ice cream and beverages. As Dr Moser explains, a nose for trends is the key to success: “We closely monitor food trends in the world’s markets and develop the perfect solutions to meet our customers’ individual needs.” For example, Hydrosol was one of the first suppliers to offer clean label solutions for dairy products, just over ten years ago. The company also addressed the high-protein trend with various concepts, followed by plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy products. The company now offers a wide range of solutions in this area, from various alternatives for milk products, cheese and ice cream, to vegan cold cuts and plant-based sausages for eating hot and cold, to all-in compounds for vegan burger patties and vegan nuggets, schnitzel, fish sticks and other breaded products.

Enjoyment – the decisive purchase criterion
Sugar and fat-reduced products are another current focus. Demands are becoming more rigorous in Europe and worldwide. The ominous increase in obesity on all five continents is driving governments to mandate new solutions from retail and industry. The challenge here is to replicate the positive technological properties of sugar and fat through intelligent stabilising and texturing systems. “Healthy nutrition only works when people enjoy eating it,” says Dr Moser. “The flavour, texture and mouth feel have to be right, otherwise consumers won’t buy a product a second time.”

So for Hydrosol, intensive research and development are fundamental to successful product ideas. “We pay special attention to the synergy effects between individual components. An understanding of the interactions among hydrocolloids, proteins, fibres and other ingredients is the key to quality results,” noted the company CEO. “We see time and time again that these synergistic complexes give much better results than single ingredients. Our broad-based applications technology at the Stern-Technology Center is thus central to our successful product solutions.”

Future challenges
This is especially important for the supply of future generations with safe, affordable and good-tasting foods, one of the central challenges facing the Food Ingredients industry as a whole. Dr Moser comments, “We’re already hard at work on ideas with high potential to ensure adequate supplies of proteins in future. This includes a wide variety of plant proteins, as well as alternative animal sources such as insects. We’re also focusing on sustainable concepts for making better use of raw materials. Because there is valuable protein not just in filet, but also in by-products like trimmings or whey.” These can also be used to make high-quality foods, as shown by the company’s stabilising and texturing systems that enable the production of fermented desserts and other attractive products from sweet and acid whey.

International expansion
Hydrosol has expanded steadily since its founding. The portfolio is constantly growing and the headcount has risen enormously. Added space and new pilot plants offer more possibilities. The company plans to continue this expansion course, as Dr Moser explains: “Our ambitions are growing. Today the Stern-Wywiol Gruppe has consolidated sales of 520 million euros. Our bold objective going forward is to grow by ten percent annually. Hydrosol is a very important part of that within the Group. In order to increase our already high growth potential we are focusing on internationalisation and food safety.”

After successfully expanding the sales team to 16 foreign subsidiaries and numerous qualified representatives, the company is now building out its production capacity at its worldwide locations, especially in Southeast Asia, China, Latin America and the US. “By 2025 we will have greatly expanded our existing local presence there,” says Dr Moser. “This strategy is driven by the growing worldwide demand for healthy, safe, and affordable food. Alongside the EU market with its strong demand for premium products, going forward we will focus more strongly on the burgeoning middle classes in the emerging markets. Our system solutions support both the supply of food and its local production. Our all-in compounds simplify the industrial manufacture of food, improving food availability in low-technology countries in particular.”

Hamburg, August 2018 – Sugar reduction in foods is a topic of great interest around the world. In Germany, retailers are advertising the lower sugar content of their house brands. In Great Britain, since April of this year there has been a sugar tax on soft drinks. In other European as well as Latin American countries, nutrition traffic lights on packaging alert consumers to the sugar percentage in foods. In India, regulation to this effect is currently being finalised. The main driver for all this activity is the ominous increase in obesity on all continents, that is increasingly being linked to high sugar consumption. It is therefore no surprise that the number of sugar-reduced or sugar-free products is growing rapidly around the world. In just the past five years the number of product launches has more than doubled, from just under 5000 in 2012 to over 10,000 in 2017 worldwide. Soft drinks and dairy products are among the fastest-growing categories. This growth is set to continue, as obesity is a key risk factor for cardiovascular diseases that are a major strain on healthcare systems, and more and more governments are devoting attention to the issue. The new need is “low sugar,” and new solutions from retailers and industry are in higher demand than ever.

And here is where the challenge lies. From a technological point of view sugar has many desirable properties. It binds water, acts as a preservative, and is very readily soluble. Most importantly, it gives products flavour, body, texture and a pleasant mouth feel. Merely replacing sugar with intensive chemical sweeteners or alternative sweeteners is generally not a viable alternative for food manufacturers from a technical standpoint. Instead, they try to replicate the many functions of sucrose through combinations of other ingredients. This is just what the new stabilising and texturing systems from Hydrosol accomplish. In application testing, Hydrosol technologists and scientists have determined the optimum interplay of individual components in various food products. The result is individual ingredient combinations for foods like yogurt, drinking yogurt, mixed milk drinks and pudding, as well as for fruity refreshing drinks, energy drinks, ketchup and plant-based whipping creams.

“With our new stabilising and texturing systems we can compensate for lower sugar content,” reports Katharina Schäfer, Product Manager Dairy & Deli Foods at Hydrosol. “The targeted combination of different individual components gives each product the desired qualities. Hydrocolloids and starch give stability, body and a pleasing texture, while special plant fibres improve mouth feel.” A positive side effect is that if the fibre content is high enough, it can be marked on the product as an added health feature.

In order to get the requisite sweetness, depending on customer wishes Hydrosol uses low-cost conventional sweeteners or raw materials like stevia, which has a positive image with consumers. Natural flavourings round out the flavour profile. “Our sister company OlbrichtArom even offers a ‘sugar booster’ especially for sugar-reduced products. This natural flavouring amplifies the delicate sweetness in the final product without affecting its characteristic flavour,” explains Schäfer.

Hydrosol’s new functional systems enable different sugar contents as desired, from sugar-reduced to sugar-free. “A reduction by 30 to 50 percent is relatively easy for us to achieve in most products. We follow European food law,” says Schäfer. This states that foods and beverages can be labelled as “reduced sugar” if they have at least 30 percent less sugar than comparable products, as long as calorie content is not higher than comparable products. For labelling as “low sugar” the consistency is the determining factor. Solid foods like yogurt can contain no more than 5 g sugar per 100 g food. For milk beverages, soft drinks and other liquids the upper limit is 2.5 g per 100 ml. “Sugar-free” products may not exceed 0.5 g sugar per 100 g or 100 ml.

Hydrosol: Addressing current food trends with new stabilising systems

Ahrensburg, September 2018 – at Gulfood Manufacturing in Dubai, Hydrosol is presenting new stabilising and texturing systems that enable food companies to make high-selling trend products. The focus is on the company’s many ideas for plant-based alternatives to dairy, texturing systems for reduced-sugar foods, and economical solutions for chicken products. At booth S3-E24 the Hydrosol team will tell visitors about the benefits of the various functional systems in detail.

Vegan alternatives to dairy products
Demand for vegan and vegetarian products continues to rise. Plant-based alternatives to dairy products are especially strong growth drivers in this market. Hydrosol has developed individual stabilising and texturing systems for a wide spectrum of dairy alternatives, that give them properties very close to those of products made from cow’s milk. These include cultured desserts that contain no milk components, soy or gluten. The company’s functional systems let manufacturers adjust products to get a texture comparable to yogurt. A creamy, smooth consistency and authentic flavour are characteristic of the vegan creamed cheese alternatives made with them. Used in vegan cheese alternatives, these tailor-made ingredient complexes give ideal melt properties as well as the taste and enjoyment consumers want. For milk drinks, Hydrosol works with alternatives not only to animal milk, but also to soy. A current example is a drink based on sunflower and oats that delivers a pleasing flavour. Functional systems for soft-melting, creamy vegan ice creams round out the product line for plant-based dairy alternatives.

Less sugar, same enjoyment
Given the worrying increase in obesity all over the world, reducing the amount of sugar in foods and beverages is a major global concern. More and more governments are demanding low sugar products, but from a technological point of view sugar has many positive properties. It gives products flavour, body, texture and a pleasant mouth feel. This is just what the new stabilising and texturing systems from Hydrosol accomplish. In application trials, technologists and scientists have found the optimum interplay of hydrocolloids, starch and plant fibre for various products. The result is individual ingredient combinations for foods like yogurt, drinking yogurt, mixed milk drinks and pudding, as well as for fruity refreshing drinks and energy drinks, ketchup and plant-based whipping creams. These new functional systems enable different sugar content levels as desired, from reduced sugar to sugar-free.

Economical poultry products
Poultry products make up the world’s fastest-growing meat category, and Hydrosol has developed a wide range of solutions for them. These include injection brines for fresh chicken meat which give increased moistness and tenderness, with outstanding brine retention and individually adjustable yield. There are also functional systems for chicken nuggets, ground meat products and schnitzel. These provide excellent binding and a juicy bite, and allow the use of vegetable ingredients in addition to meat, which opens up many possibilities for innovative product ideas. The portfolio also includes functional systems for the economic production and long shelf life of poultry sausages. For poultry cold cuts from all-muscle tissue, Hydrosol offers tailored ingredient combinations for high-end premium products as well as cost-optimised recipes.

Individual solutions from product idea to packaging.

Hamburg, June 2018 – At this year’s IFT Food Expo in Chicago, five sister companies of the Stern-Wywiol Gruppe will be presenting their latest offerings. SternMaid America will present its wide range of customer-specific contract manufacturing services, while sister companies Hydrosol, SternEnzym, SternVitamin and Sternchemie exhibit trend-oriented food ingredients. These include individual stabilizing and texturing systems for vegan products, trendy vitamin and mineral premixes for different consumer demands, clean label lecithins and oils, and innovative enzyme systems for the efficient and economical manufacture of food products. At their shared booth S671 visitors can get customized problem solutions and new inspiration.

Hydrosol, a leading international supplier of customer-specific stabilizing and texturing systems, is presenting vegan alternatives to meat and dairy products at the IFT Food Expo. With its all-in compounds for meat alternatives, customers can use standard production equipment to make vegan burger patties and meatballs, meatless nuggets, schnitzel, and filet strips. Hydrosol also offers functional systems for making vegan cold cuts. For the wide spectrum of dairy alternatives, Hydrosol has developed individual stabilizing and texturing systems that give products properties that are very close to those of products made from cow’s milk. In addition to fermented desserts, ice cream, and drinks, this includes vegan cream cheese alternatives with an appealingly smooth, creamy consistency and authentic flavor. Used in vegan cheese alternatives, these functional systems deliver the taste and enjoyment consumers want, as well as the ideal melt properties for pizza and casseroles.

 

SternVitamin is showing how manufacturers of beverages, foods and nutritional supplements can generate new value-add potential. This micronutrient specialist company has also developed special premixes for enriching vegan foods that meet the daily requirements of all important micronutrients. Another focus is health and lifestyle concepts for different target groups and requirements. These include bone health, boosting the immune system, strengthening the cardiovascular system, and beauty support. The new premix for “healthy bones and heart” is just one example, and trade show visitors can test it right at the booth. The premix contains vitamins B1, B12, C, K2 and D3, and is just one example of many different target group concepts that address different life phases of consumers, from childbearing to school, study, professional life and senior years. In addition to beverages, these tailor-made micronutrient premixes add value to teas, snacks, dairy products, baked goods and confections. They can also be integrated into a vegan lifestyle.

 

At IFT enzyme designer SternEnzym is presenting solutions that make food manufacture more efficient and economical. One focus is on new applications for baked goods and dough products, and for avoiding acrylamide. In cookies, the company’s special enzyme systems improve dough workability and cookie structure, while reducing the tendency to form hairline cracks and bubbles. In waffle production, they enable major savings through lower energy expenditure and lower product loss. The multipurpose Pastazym line makes it possible to use cheaper wheat varieties and so keep costs down. The enzyme compounds are suitable for pasta products of durum wheat, common wheat, and mixtures of the two. SternEnzym is also showing Innovase ASP, which prevents the formation of acrylamide in French fries, fine baked goods, bread, coffee, and breakfast cereal.

 

Sternchemie is an international supplier of lecithins and food lipids, and is presenting its declaration-friendly non-GMO products including sunflower and rapeseed lecithin as well as IP soy. These clean label products are from the company’s own sustainable production and are suitable for baked goods and confections, instant products, and food supplements. Sternchemie offers lecithins in liquid form, as powder, and in hydrolyzed and sprayable versions Another specialty is de-oiled pure lecithin. As a problem solver, Sternchemie develops individual lecithin compounds to customer order, specific to the application in terms of functionality, pricing, and declaration. The company’s second major line of business is MCT oil. This colorless, odorless, flavorless, low-viscosity oil is ideal for many things, from baby food, baked goods, and confections to sports nutrition. Sternchemie also offers powdered versions of MCT. Other products are RSPO SG-certified red palm oil, in high demand as a natural food coloring, as well as coconut milk power for cold and hot dishes, baked goods and confections, and ice cream.

 

SternMaid America offers complete contract manufacturing for powder mixes in the nutritional supplements and food ingredients category. With its own plant in Aurora near Chicago, the company can meet all the needs of American customers. Its semi-automatic powder mixing line uses the latest technology, providing high mixing precision and the flexibility to produce quantities from 1000 to 20,000 lbs. and more. Its specially designed nozzles can evenly spray fluid components onto powder; these can be microcomponents like flavorings, oils, emulsifiers and the like, including fatty and highly viscous fluids in high concentration. Powdered products can be supplied packed in bags, cartons, drums or big bags. In addition, the plant has a canning line for filling precise amounts. SternMaid America’s services range from quality control of raw materials to co-packing to stocking and logistics. Its high quality and hygienic standards are reflected by its many certifications. IFT Food Expo 2018 attendees can learn more about what SternMaid America and its sister companies offer at Booth S671.

For us, sharing our knowledge is a huge part of our business. We are happy to have Hydrosol represented with two contributions at the Anuga Food Tec in Cologne this month.

On March 20th, Dr. Dorotea Pein, Innovation and Product Manager for Dairy Products at Hydrosol will speak about “foams and aerated products in food industry with a focus on vegetable fat cream” within the general session on “Food Foams”.

Also on March 20th, Dr. Carsten Carstens, Scientific Director, Innovation and Product Manager for Meat Products at Hydrosol will speak about “functional ingredient systems for the production of sustainable meat products”, which is part of a session on  “Technological possibilities for producing, functionalising and stabilising ingredients”.

For more information, please follow the Link

Hydrosol - Pflanzensahne

Hydrosol - Vegetarische Nuggets

Hamburg, March 2018 – Alternative nutrition forms are becoming more and more popular, and vegan and vegetarian products continue to gain ground, according to s study by market research company Mintel. Meat and milk alternative products long ago stopped being the exception and are more and more becoming standard, around the globe. According to Innova Market Insights, in the last few years Latin America has had the highest annual growth in vegan products at 132 percent, outstripping the next fastest growing markets of Europe (50 percent), Australasia (45 percent) and North America (34 percent).

Not only are more and more vegan foods available, consumer expectations on flavour, texture and enjoyment are also rising. Innovative solutions are in demand. For the wide spectrum of dairy alternatives, Hydrosol has developed individual stabilising and texturing systems that give products properties that are very close to those of products made from cow’s milk. This includes fermented deserts based on alternatives like almond milk, that contain no animal milk components, soy or gluten. A functional system of modified starch, hydrocolloids and plant fibres lets manufacturers adjust products to get a texture comparable to yogurt. A creamy, smooth consistency and authentic flavour are characteristic of vegan creamed cheese alternatives made with stabilising systems from the Stabisol range. Used in vegan cheese alternatives, these tailor-made ingredient complexes give ideal melt properties as well as the taste and enjoyment consumers want. For drinking milk, Hydrosol works with alternatives not only to animal milk, but also to soy. A current example is a drink based on sunflower and oats that delivers a pleasing flavour. Functional systems for soft-melt, creamy vegan ice creams round out the product line.

“Our goal is not just to present customers with ideas for vegan alternative products, but to deliver concepts with added value,” explains Dr. Dorotea Pein, Innovation and Product Manager for Dairy Products. “So in developing our stabilising and texturing systems, we address the latest trends. One example is the rising demand for protein-rich products. According to market studies, this is by far the leading category. We use knowledge from this area in the development of dairy alternative products.”

Another example is vegan foods fortified with vitamins and minerals that compensate for potential nutritional deficiencies and can also be tailored to specific target groups. Possible products include vegan desserts for children, and milk-free drinks for athletes and seniors. Here, Hydrosol works very closely with its sister company SternVitamin to offer vitamin enrichment specifically for the needs of vegans. Like with all Hydrosol product concepts, its vegan dairy alternative products can be adapted to meet individual customer wishes.

Ahrensburg, February 2018 – The market for refreshing beverages is growing around the
world. The main drivers in the category are fruit juices and fruit juice drinks, which are seeing
disproportionate growth. Hydrosol’s new all-in compounds let beverage manufacturers as well
as dairies benefit from this growing demand. Its Stabifruit functional systems contain all the
important components for making refreshing fruity drinks, and offer many advantages over
concentrates.

Fruit juices and refreshing fruity drinks have a very positive image with consumers. According
to research by Innova Market Insights, flavour and health benefits are the most important sales
arguments from consumers’ point of view. Fruit juice manufacturers must meet increasing
consumer demands while at the same time addressing various production challenges, from
growing cost pressure to requirements placed on storage of concentrations, to guaranteeing
the optimum product quality. There are also regulations concerning enrichment with vitamins
and minerals, as well as the increasingly frequent calls to reduce sugar content, which
negatively impacts the mouth feel and viscosity of drinks.

With its Stabifruit line of all-in compounds, Hydrosol offers an attractive solution. Since these
functional systems are in powder form, they have high storage stability along with optimum
logistics. Unlike with fruit juice concentrates, there are no expiration date issues. Water-free
formulations are microbiologically safer than juices or concentrates. In addition, with no water
there is less weight to transport. These are measurable cost benefits for users. In addition,
these powdered products can be used by manufacturers who were previously not part of the
fruit juice industry, and so do not have the specific machinery park.

Naturally the compounds are free of preservatives. They are easy to use, and with just small
dosages give refreshing fruity drinks with appealing mouth feel, colour, flavour and viscosity.
Individual components can be used flexibly depending on customer wishes. The fruit content is
variable. Sugar content can also be reduced without impacting the quality of the beverage.
Cloudiness stability is also important, i.e. keeping particles suspended in cloudy drinks. The
unusual cloudiness stability of Hydrosol’s formulations has been demonstrated in scientific
testing. Hydrosol’s close collaboration with its sister company SternVitamin is an advantage for
customers, since it makes it possible to enrich the all-in compounds individually with vitamins
and minerals. This gives manufacturers a custom beverage concept from a single source.

A wide portfolio of fruit flavours is available, including favourites like orange, peach and mango
as well as special flavours like raspberry, banana and currant. That means that the new
Stabifruit line of all-in compounds provides the basis for a wide range of fruit drinks whose
mouth feel, colour, taste and viscosity leave nothing to be desired, while offering substantial
economic, logistical and production benefits.

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Press Releases

Hydrosol offers exclusive solution for allergen-free plant-based burger patties

IFFA 2019

Hydrosol at IFFA 2019

Complete solutions for meat, sausage and plant-based alternatives.

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25 years of Hydrosol: From startup to global player

Hamburg, December 2018 – In 1993 Hydrosol entered the market with just one product. Since then, this Stern-Wywiol Gruppe subsidiary has grown to become an internationally leading provider of system solutions in the ingredients business.

Sugar reduction is an urgent issue – and new texturing systems provide the answer

Less sugar in dairy products, soft drinks, deli foods and vegan alternatives

Gulfood Manufacturing 2018

Hydrosol: Addressing current food trends with new stabilising systems

Sundogs: Vegetable hotdogs with sunflower protein for the first time

New all-in compound from Hydrosol for allergen-free alternatives to soy and wheat

Make vegan burger patties quickly and easily

No investment needed in expensive equipment

SternMaid America and its sister companies at IFT Food Expo 2018

Individual solutions from product idea to packaging.

Added value concepts win over new target groups

Hydrosol addresses growing demand for vegan dairy alternatives.

New all-in compounds address growing beverage market with new ideas

Hydrosol now offering trend-forward concepts for fruity refreshment drinks.

Food Ingredients Europe 2017

Hydrosol inspires with trend-oriented concepts

Gulfood Manufacturing 2017

Hydrosol: Lucrative stabilising systems for dairy, meat and vegan products

Hydrosol adds more production capacity in Germany

Stabiliser specialist continues on growth course

Low-fat mayonnaise Hydrosol develops integrated compound without starch

High quality at all fat levels

Revenue growth through greater internationalisation

Individual success concepts for international markets

Simple production of vegetarian Bolognese and other meatless foods

Wide range of meatless alternatives to ground meat and sausage with new all-in compound

Press announcement

Alternatives for meat and dairy products – vegan integrated compounds

"innovations in Food Technology" (Issue 75, May 2017)

Meat substitutes are enjoying growing popularity. The success of modern vegan and vegetarian products is due to the fact that they offer consumers familiar flavours and textures without using meat.

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