With guar prices rising, Ashland to showcase cost-effective alternatives for ice cream and bakery customers at Institute for Food Technologists show
Press Release
With guar prices rising, Ashland to showcase cost-effective alternatives for ice cream and bakery customers at Institute for Food Technologists show
WILMINGTON, Del. – It’s enough to make ice cream companies scream. With the cost of guar climbing to new heights amid soaring demand, a growing number of food companies are hunting for cost-effective alternatives that will act as thickeners in a wide variety of food and dairy products.
Help is on the way from the scientists at Ashland Specialty Ingredients, a commercial unit of Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH), in the form of two new products that will be showcased at the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting and Show in Las Vegas June 25-28.
Aquacel™ GSH and Aquasorb™ A-500 are cellulose gums that can be used either to supplement or replace guar, offering two cost-effective options that deliver the required flavor and consistency profiles in beverage, bakery and dairy products.
“With guar prices increasing tenfold over the past year, a growing number of customers have approached us asking for alternatives,” explained Laurie Kronenberg, new product leader, Nutrition Specialties, Ashland Specialty Ingredients. “In response, our technical experts around the globe have been extensively formulating with our new cellulose gum grades, developing detailed application information for formulators specifically in the areas of ice cream, traditional cakes, bread and sponge cakes. As a result, we have been able to deliver two new options that maintain the flavor and integrity of the final product, yet at a significantly lower cost than a guar-based item.”
The proof, as they say, is in the pudding. Or, in this case, the ice cream. Ashland tapped Bruce Tharp, a leading independent industry expert, to head a panel test of ice cream samples developed in Ashland’s labs.
From a sensory perspective, Tharp was unable to tell any significant difference between ice creams using guar gum and those using cellulose gum or blends of the two.
“If anything, the ice creams with cellulose gums have slightly more body, as typically seen in premium brands. Cellulose gum has always been considered a premier stabilizer in ice cream, but historically guar gum has been cheaper. It does not surprise me that with guar prices rising, formulators are now switching back,” Tharp explained.
For ice cream, Aquacel GSH cellulose gum has outstanding viscosity synergy with guar gum to enable formulators to either replace guar all together or to reduce the overall doses of the total hydrocolloid in their formulations. For bakery products, Aquasorb A-500 cellulose gum has exceptional water-binding capacity. Formulators are not only seeing the guar/cellulose gum synergies, but are also improving their products’ yield, moisture, appearance and shelf life.
The IFT Food Expo is the industry’s largest collection of ingredients, equipment, processing and packaging suppliers. Experts from Ashland Specialty Ingredients will be at booth 2848 and will provide a presentation on these two new grades of cellulose gum and how they can help food manufacturers resolve the ongoing challenges posed by guar’s price volatility and tight supply.
Ashland is a world leader in cellulosic food ingredients, with our products meeting formulation customers’ health, convenience, quality and processing requirements in major food applications. Ashland creates value through applications knowledge, market insight and a powerful product portfolio that includes: Aquacel™, Aquasorb™, Aqualon™, Blanose™ and Bondwell™ cellulose gum (CMC); Benecel™ MC and HPMC; Klucel™ and AeroWhip™ HPC, and Supercol™ guar gum.
About Ashland Specialty Ingredients
Ashland Specialty Ingredients offers industry-leading products, technologies and resources for solving formulation and product performance challenges in key markets including personal care, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, coatings and energy. Using natural, synthetic and semi-synthetic polymers derived from plant and seed extract, cellulose ethers and vinyl pyrrolidones, Ashland Specialty Ingredients offers comprehensive and innovative solutions for today's demanding consumer and industrial applications.
About Ashland
In more than 100 countries, the people of Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH) provide the specialty chemicals, technologies and insights to help customers create new and improved products for today and sustainable solutions for tomorrow. Our chemistry is at work every day in a wide variety of markets and applications, including architectural coatings, automotive, construction, energy, food and beverage, personal care, pharmaceutical, tissue and towel, and water treatment. Visit www.ashland.com to see the innovations we offer through our four commercial units –Ashland Specialty Ingredients, Ashland Water Technologies, Ashland Performance Materials and Ashland Consumer Markets.
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Ashland Specialty Ingredients
Media Relations
Richard Ruberti
+1 302 594 6850
rrruberti@ashland.com