In the food industry, acidity regulators are essential for any food to fulfill structural functions like consistency, flavor, and texture, as well as functions that extend its shelf life.
There is an extensive list of approved acidity regulators with excellent properties, which can sometimes make the choice of the most suitable one complex. For this reason, food formulators must study and choose the most appropriate option for their application, understanding that there are no good or bad acidity regulators, but those that are better suited for specific applications.
Historically, sodium salts have been the most widely used in the food industry due to their high solubility in aqueous media and wide availability in the world of raw materials. However, it is well known that the indiscriminate use of these salts can have harmful health effects and often require flavor masking, as their impact in a formulation competes with the desired flavor of the final product, especially in those aiming for sweet flavors.
Addimentum has been working on the development of applications to optimize the use of calcium fumarate in food development for several years., Calcium fumarate has gained ground due to its high purity, low hygroscopicity, and low impact on the taste of formulations.These attributes have positioned it in applications such as powdered gelatins, powdered soft drinks, technological coadjutant in the production of fresh and aged cheeses, and even as a fortifier in dairy substitute preparations.
In this chapter, special mention is made of Calcium Fumarate in the production of powdered gelatins, highlighting its main benefits:
- It allows for a reduction in the amount of raw materials compared to a conventional formulation containing sodium citrate. This includes a decrease in gelatin, acidity regulator, and acidulant, thanks to its physicochemical properties such as calcium content, purity, and structural conformation.
- It increases the hardness of the gelatin, whether it is sweetened or unsweetened.
- It provides the same sensory profile as gelatin when sodium citrate is used as an acidity regulator.
- It provides calcium to the food and reduces sodium in the formulation.
- Its neutral taste does not affect the sensory properties of the food.
In light of the above, calcium fumarate is presented as an excellent alternative to optimize gelatin formulations with a positive impact on health by replacing sodium citrate with a calcium source.
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