TechNeed Challenge - Lowering pH of food without affecting taste
Started by Hongyun, Jan 23 2009 04:38 AM
Found this challenge on the web, maybe some of you will have interesting ingredients to share?
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This global company is seeking to lower the pH of their savoury products without affecting the taste. They need to control spore germination and/or enhance the thermal treatment to assure shelf stability of the food at ambient temperature. The solution could be new food acids, combinations of food acids, taste maskers or natural preservatives.
pH can be lowered in food by adding food acids which act as natural preservatives and enhance thermal treatments (pasteurization and sterilization) and control spore germination. Pasteurization can be used with high-acid foods (pH<4.5) and sterilization is used for low-acid foods (pH>4.5) as low-acid foods need high temperature thermal treatment. However, high temperatures from sterilization or the addition of foods acids to lower the pH all have detrimental effects on food consistency, taste, and nutritional value. This is especially true with many vegetables such as zucchini, artichokes, carrots, and peppers, which are common constituents of our client’s products. Therefore, this company is seeking solutions for use with a wide range of vegetables.
A variety of food acids and combinations has been tried, but the company is willing to try any alternatives. Maskers such as sugar are not applicable as the majority of the food is savoury. Fats have been considered as taste-masking agents but do not meet the healthy brand image of the product range.
Your proposed solution:
- Must not affect the taste of the food.
- Ideally, will already have trials in food showing efficacy, stability, and working conditions.
- Will be safe for consumption with Material Safety Data Sheet information available.
- Will be clean label or label friendly.
The solution will have been tested on food and be safe for consumption. Ideally it will be ready to be added and tested within a wide range of recipes.
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Have fun with the challenge!
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This global company is seeking to lower the pH of their savoury products without affecting the taste. They need to control spore germination and/or enhance the thermal treatment to assure shelf stability of the food at ambient temperature. The solution could be new food acids, combinations of food acids, taste maskers or natural preservatives.
pH can be lowered in food by adding food acids which act as natural preservatives and enhance thermal treatments (pasteurization and sterilization) and control spore germination. Pasteurization can be used with high-acid foods (pH<4.5) and sterilization is used for low-acid foods (pH>4.5) as low-acid foods need high temperature thermal treatment. However, high temperatures from sterilization or the addition of foods acids to lower the pH all have detrimental effects on food consistency, taste, and nutritional value. This is especially true with many vegetables such as zucchini, artichokes, carrots, and peppers, which are common constituents of our client’s products. Therefore, this company is seeking solutions for use with a wide range of vegetables.
A variety of food acids and combinations has been tried, but the company is willing to try any alternatives. Maskers such as sugar are not applicable as the majority of the food is savoury. Fats have been considered as taste-masking agents but do not meet the healthy brand image of the product range.
Your proposed solution:
- Must not affect the taste of the food.
- Ideally, will already have trials in food showing efficacy, stability, and working conditions.
- Will be safe for consumption with Material Safety Data Sheet information available.
- Will be clean label or label friendly.
The solution will have been tested on food and be safe for consumption. Ideally it will be ready to be added and tested within a wide range of recipes.
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Have fun with the challenge!
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Hehehe challenging indeed! I would say that its really tough for me since I can only try to answer this using already published studies. I will try when I 'll have some more free time.
Too bad the product is under the "savory" category. If it were to be under the "sweet" category, then the use of miracle fruit might help (if they can afford to pay for it...).
To those new to the fruit, here's an intro from wikipedia:
"The Miracle Fruit plant (Synsepalum dulcificum) produces berries that, when eaten, cause sour foods (such as lemons and limes) consumed later to taste sweet."
And more info here on HowStuffWorks.com
To those new to the fruit, here's an intro from wikipedia:
"The Miracle Fruit plant (Synsepalum dulcificum) produces berries that, when eaten, cause sour foods (such as lemons and limes) consumed later to taste sweet."
And more info here on HowStuffWorks.com
Thanks Hongyun. I certainly learned something new today.Too bad the product is under the "savory" category. If it were to be under the "sweet" category, then the use of miracle fruit might help (if they can afford to pay for it...).
To those new to the fruit, here's an intro from wikipedia:
"The Miracle Fruit plant (Synsepalum dulcificum) produces berries that, when eaten, cause sour foods (such as lemons and limes) consumed later to taste sweet."
And more info here on HowStuffWorks.com
Regards,
Simon
You're most welcome, Simon.
Always glad to introduce interesting ingredients.
Always glad to introduce interesting ingredients.