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‘DATEM or Mono- and diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids’ and ‘Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate’ it is perhaps not surprising that many permitted emulsifiers have names which just do not appeal to the average consumer. It has to be said however, that the definition of clean label is


clearly subjective and will depend on how consumers see a fit with the ingredient or additive and the product. For example, pectin is viewed as a natural ingredient even though it is classified as an additive (in Europe, it is known as E440). Rightly or wrongly, many consumers think of ‘natural’ food


products as having no additives and being, on the whole, better for them. The overriding perception is that additives somehow damage health. Perhaps this is literally a case where consumers want to have


their cake and eat it too – buying products that are as ‘natural’ as possible, but containing as few additives as possible yet with no discernible reduction in quality. Unfortunately, there are no hard and fast solutions to the issue.


Natural ingredients that claim they have good emulsifying properties are as yet, unproven and many would argue are just not viable for large-scale commercial production. There are many ingredients coming on to the market claiming emulsification capabilities but they are just not as effective as the list of ‘traditional’ permitted emulsifiers. Polysaccharide-based emulsifiers such as gum arabic and pectin


are natural extracts which are classified as additives and require label declarations. However, many consumers may view these materials more positively than mono and diglycerides since they are perceived as natural and therefore more wholesome. In order to avoid labelling issues, one option may be to include


the whole plant material in the foodstuff. For example sugar beet pulp contains 20 per cent pectin. If the entire sugar beet pulp could be included in the food formulation, the label declaration could arguably be ‘sugar beet pulp’. It is known that combinations of proteins can act synergistically


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to provide enhanced emulsifier capability. ‘Protein’ is viewed as a positive label claim and as such, the use of proteins as emulsifiers is highly likely to be an area that will receive increased attention as protein manufacturers recognise the advantages of providing a clean label offering. Extracts and isolates of soy and pea are all commercially available and being promoted on their emulsification properties; however, inclusion levels to provide emulsification may be unacceptably high and so incur unacceptable cost levels. Oat lipid would give a clean label declaration but the pure


material could be prohibitively expensive for food applications. One route could be to develop a lipid rich oat extract; however there is currently no reported mechanism for delivering this. Lecithin, a naturally occurring emulsifier which requires a label


declaration, was one of the first emulsifiers to be used extensively in the baking industry and may be a way back to cleaner sounding labels. However, the application of lecithin in pan bread has been largely replaced by mono- and diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (DATEM) due to the superior cost-in-use performance of these materials. Enzymes can be added to enhance the emulsification


properties of lipids in situ during baking or other food processing operations. When used as processing aids, there is currently no requirement to declare enzymes on food product labels, although this may be subject to change in years to come. Enzyme manufacturers have focused on the bakery industry for


applications of emulsifier enzymes, reflecting that this sector is the principal user of conventional emulsifiers such as mono and diglycerides and their derivatives. There may therefore be an opportunity to look at applications of enzymes in other sectors of the food processing industry. It is perhaps more realistic to assume that clean label goods will


always be more of a niche or specialist market in which some consumers will be willing to pay a premium. Emulsifiers will always have a role to play in modern food production. n


European Baker Magazine - Digital Digest • www.worldbakers.com 1­ 0


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