Fiberstar Blog

Citri-Fi Frequently Asked Questions

When the Fiberstar team works with developers, several frequently asked questions arise about Citri-Fi citrus fiber. Since this fiber is a highly functional fibers and not typically used for fiber fortification, manufacturers inquire more about its benefits.

1.  What is Citri-Fi^® and what is it’s base material?

Citri-Fi natural citrus fiber is made from byproduct of the citrus juicing process. This natural fiber is made from the following: juice cells, peels, rag or segment membranes and cores from mandarin oranges (excluding bitter oranges) lemons, limes grapefruits and tangerines. Citri-Fi has about 74% dietary fiber where 38% is insoluble fiber and 36% is soluble fiber. This natural fiber contains a significant amount of pectin (~40%). High Brix and low pH conditions activate the pectin in the fiber to produce gelling properties which are beneficial for fruit prep food applications.

The patented, physical process opens up the fiber to provide high water holding and emulsification properties which benefit foods like meats, bakery, dressings, sauces, beverages, dairy, pet food and treats, frozen foods, and plant-based foods.

2.  How is Citri-Fi labeled?

Citri-Fi can be labeled as citrus fiber, dried citrus pulp or citrus flour. In USDA regulated foods, this natural ingredient can be labeled as citrus flour or dried citrus pulp. Regulations about labeling can vary by country.

3.  Does Citri-Fi have any taste?

Citri-Fi citrus fiber has a neutral taste. During the citrus juicing process, the fiber goes down one channel while the flavor containing components go down a separate channel. The citrus juice processing companies keep the flavor components which are turned into value-added products further down their byproduct streams which benefits them. Meanwhile, we ensure the fiber that we procure has a bland taste by extensively washing the raw material with water. This removes both oils and sugars down to a very low level. In fact, we do sensory on each lot of Citri-Fi that’s made to ensure the taste profile fits within customers’ specifications and expectations.

4.  Does Citri-Fi provide heat stability in foods?

One of the unique properties of Citri-Fi is heating stability and its ability to bind both water and oil when heated.  Thus, Citri-Fi provides heat stability in many types of foods such as bakery, meats, dressings and sauces. Citri-Fi’s high surface area combined with its natural composition, which contains native pectin and proteins, locks in water and oil which remain stable during heated conditions.

When used in bakery applications, the Citri-Fi holds onto the water pre and post bake. As a result, the baked good remains soft which improves quality over time. In meat products, Citri-Fi holds onto the water during the cooking process which improves the cooked yield and gives the poultry products a succulent and juicy texture. And in dressing and sauces, Citri-Fi holds onto water and oil if present so that there is no separation during and after cooking.

5.  How to incorporate Citri-Fi in foods?

Citri-Fi natural citrus fiber can be incorporated into foods via adding to dry ingredients or fat and/or oil. In liquid applications, like other hydrocolloids, the citrus fiber needs to be dispersed either by being mixed in with other dry ingredients or added alone with some agitation to prevent fish eyes from forming.

Citri-Fi does not need to be pre-hydrated nor heat activated. This natural citrus fiber begins to swell immediately in aqueous conditions. When forming emulsions, Citri-Fi is first mixed dry with the oil and/or fat and then added to the liquids. After some agitation, the emulsion will form which then can be added to the food product.

If there is no shear available, there are options such as adding Citri-Fi to oil first then adding water. Or another method is to slowly add Citri-Fi into water to avoid  large amounts of dry material contacting water all at once, which can create clumps. Additionally, if a larger particle size of version of Citri-Fi is used, it will be less prone to clumping when first added to solution. However, even if clumps do form in water with the smaller particle sizes (e.g. Citri-Fi 100M40), they do readily break up on their own without shear after a period of 15-20 minutes.

6.  Does Citri-Fi provide freeze/thaw stability?

Citri-Fi natural citrus fiber provides freeze/thaw stability which benefits several foods including ice cream, sauces, meat alternatives, and frozen meals. This natural fiber’s high surface area locks in the water and oil during freeze/thaw minimizing water migration. This gives frozen foods excellent stability over time improving the quality.

7.  Does Citri-Fi provide emulsification?

The Mechanism

Citri-Fi holds up to seven times its weight in oil and/or fat. This natural fiber's physical and chemical composition create the emulsification properties. For instance, the native pectin and protein in Citri-Fi provide hydrophobic interactions with fats and oils to help stabilize emulsions. Additionally, on the physical side, Citri-Fi has a very amorphous cell wall structure where oil droplets can get  physically trapped and be prevented from coalescing with other droplets. This also helps to form a more stable emulsion. In certain products, depending on the concentrations and other ingredients used,  there can also be a viscosity impact which also creates a physical barrier for oil droplet coalescence. Without oil droplet coalescence, the emulsions essentially remain stable for longer periods of time. Thus, multiple mechanisms allow Citri-Fi to function as an emulsifier.

One key competitive advantage is that low shear or low energy is needed to activate the Citri-Fi, which is contrary to most emulsifiers on the marketplace. A clean natural texture that has minimal taste with long term stability are other benefits.

Stability

We have an study on stability of Citri-Fi as an emulsifier. This study includes challenging conditions such as freeze/thaw, elevated temperatures, and various types of fats and oils. In short, stability of Citri-Fi as an emulsifier remains stable for over 6 months!

In terms of replacing other emulsifiers, Citri-Fi works best if it is the only emulsifier used to help ensure there is no competition and it can fully hydrate to take advantage of Citri-Fi’s high surface area.

Any application will work for Citri-Fi to provide emulsification as long as there is enough water to allow the product to hydrate. If the Citri-Fi does not hydrate, it’s functional properties for oil binding are considerably lower versus if the Citri-Fi is hydrated to take advantage of its high surface area once it comes in contact with water.

Other Applications

This natural fiber also turns difficult-to-use liquids into flow-able powders by dry plating. Citri-Fi has an oil load between 25% and 30% depending on the liquid oil and up to 50% with solid fats. The Citri-Fi not only delivers oil but also provides functional benefits in the final food products. For instance, plated Citri-Fi improves mouthfeel, oil stabilization and clouding in beverage products. Meats and sauces also benefit from plated oils.

8.  Is Citri-Fi pH stable?

Citri-Fi is pH stable as low as 3.0. This natural fiber does not break down or lose its efficacy as a dietary fiber. This natural fiber is also pH stable under high heat conditions.

9.  What is WHC and how long does Citri-Fi hold onto water?

Water holding capacity (WHC) is the ability of food to hold its own or added water during the application of force, pressure, centrifugation, or heating. (Trends in Food Science & Technology, 2016) Citri-Fi can hold up to 9 to 10 times its weight in water.

Like the emulsification shelf life stability, one of Citri-Fi’s key attributes is long term stability. This is in part because of the product’s natural composition without chemical modification. Thus, products can be stable with Citri-Fi for multiple years without breakdown as long as there is no microbial growth impacting the quality of the overall food or beverage.