When relying on natural ingredients, clean label food dressings encounter stability challenges. Citri-Fi^® natural citrus fiber’s high water and oil holding functionalities provides the stability and quality that developers strive to achieve.

Every month, new food dressings hit the store shelves touting new flavors and textures. This innovation engine is fueled by merging dressings within its own category or across food categories like dairy yogurt. Dressings come in all textures, flavors and colors. Some even create new textures such as adding spices, herbs and gourmet cheese particulates. So why not yogurt in a dressing? But wait, clean label is the new normal. So, before getting excited about launching this decadent flowing salad topper, let’s talk about the challenges with formulating for clean label dressings.

What is Clean Label

Clean label is a subjective guideline that highly depends on consumers’ perceptions. It can mean using less ingredients to keep the labeling simple. The term can also mean using only recognizable ingredients. Recognizable implies staples found in our grandmother’s pantry. Another interpretation of clean label is allergen-free or free from. Regardless the definition, there is one common challenge that formulators fear when selecting their ingredients – stability. Natural ingredients typically do not hold up to the harsh food processing, handling and storage conditions.

A clean label yogurt dressing is not immune to these challenges. So, developers look for highly functional natural ingredients that are label friendly. Not only do these ingredients provide the stability to hold up under adverse conditions, but also, they improve the product quality. Citri-Fi natural citrus fiber is a star performer when it comes to natural, holistic functionality.

The Natural Fit

For instance, Citri-Fi 100M40 is a single ingredient that can take on multiple functional roles in yogurt dressings. This natural ingredient’s high surface area lends itself to high water and oil holding. While providing mouthfeel, creaminess and clean flavor release, Citri-Fi can both thicken and emulsify butterfat in addition to oil-based dressings. This functional ingredient’s ability to hold significant amount of oil gives its unique natural emulsification properties.

Citri-Fi’s unique viscosity functionality is amplified when subjected to high shear conditions. As a result, when used in the dressing at about 0.4% in combination with standard dairy homogenization, the result is a creamy, stable dressing. Moreover, the product is acid and shear stable and does not require a cooking step to activate.

This natural ingredient is non-GMO and allergen-free. Citri-Fi can be labeled as citrus fiber, dried citrus pulp or citrus flour which resonate well in the natural food markets. Its high functionality also benefits other oil or fat-based dressings. Therefore, this natural ingredient should be in every formulator’s clean label formulating tool box.

Have questions about your food dressing or need to order a sample? Click here!