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Citri-Fi Citrus Fiber Water Holding, Natural Emulsifier, Upcycled, Sustainable, Gelling Properties - Clean Label- Organic

December 12, 2023

Dressings, Soups & Sauces, Fiberstar Blog

Clean Label Food & Beverage: 2023 Top Searches

Food trends come and go, however, clean label is here to stay. Although clean label suggests just that, the definition is highly subjective and carries a myriad of meanings. To some this term implies familiarity, naturalness and simplicity. And to others it refers to sustainable and environmentally friendly. Regardless of the clean label food definition, this movement has affected most food and beverage categories to some degree.

Citri-Fi Citrus Fiber - Clean Label Food & Beverages

Citri-Fi is produced from byproduct of the citrus juicing industry. The clean process, which is free from chemical modifications, is one piece of the green story. Citri-Fi is one of few citrus fibers that uses a process that only contains water and heat to produce this natural ingredient. Other citrus fibers on the market are byproduct of pectin extraction which typically uses solvents and other chemicals in the process. In extraction, the process strips away the native intact pectin which adversely affects the citrus fiber. Some citrus fiber suppliers add the pectin back in to gain additional functionality. Citri-Fi's clean process keeps citrus fiber how Mother Nature intended – full of native intact pectin.

Citri-Fi contributes fiber to various food products which complements other fibers when making fiber claims. In addition to its healthy halo, this natural ingredient’s water holding and emulsification stabilization aids in improving Nutri-Scores - a nutrition label and nutritional labeling system.

In addition to the sustainable procurement, clean process and healthy food applications, Citri-Fi is a clean label ingredient. Labeling options include citrus fiber, dried citrus pulp and citrus flour which resonate well in the clean label markets. Because of this, Citri-Fi is an ideal natural food ingredient to create clean label food.

In 2023, six food categories came up in the Fiberstar keyword search analytics for clean label because of Citri-Fi citrus fiber's natural status. Below provides some insight into the hottest clean label food trends.

(1) Baked Goods – Clean Label Bakery Solutions

Today, bakers are returning back to basics in other words clean label baking formulas. This trend affects a variety of baked goods including (on order of prevalence) bakery fillings, pastry and pastry creams, snacks, bread, tortilla, bakery mixes and cakes. Bakers seek cleaner alternatives to emulsifiers, food gums, modified starches and other stabilizers. Citri-Fi citrus fiber is an ideal fit. At less than 1% usage, this natural ingredient can replace emulsifiers and other hydrocolloids depending on the bakery application to create clean bakery products.

(2) Clean Label Pet Food

Pet owners treat companion animals as their beloved children today also known as the pet humanization trend. As consumers become more cognizant about what makes up their own food, they practice the same diligence with their furry friends' meals. Because of this, consumers peruse label friendly options for both dog food and cat food.

Citri-Fi citrus fiber can be used to create clean label pet food. At less than 1% usage, this natural ingredient reduces breakage in biscuits, improves the tenderness in semi-moist treats and replaces stabilizers in canned or wet pet food.

(3) Dressing, Sauces, Dips and Spreads

This food category is a hot spot for clean label formulations. Many products include (in order of prevalence) mayonnaise, dressings, dips, sauces, jams, culinary pastes and nut butters. Though regular mayonnaise is clean since it contains only three pantry ingredients, other permutations such as flavored, reduced egg or egg-free mayonnaise spreads use stabilizers and other hydrocolloids to improve the texture and shelf-life. Citri-Fi, at less than 1% usage, can replace eggs or extend eggs while maintaining a stable emulsion due to its native intact pectin composition.

In dressings, dips and sauces, this natural citrus fiber’s dual functionality – water holding and emulsification – creates smooth stable textures over time. Again, Citri-Fi can create clean label food by replacing stabilizing hydrocolloids. In jams, Citri-Fi can be used to replace added pectin when used in low pH and high Brix conditions. And in culinary pastes and butters, Citri-Fi can create stable emulsions as long some water is present in the system.

(4) Clean Label Meat Substitutes

The meat alternative category continues to thrive with new product launches. Initially, perfecting the texture and flavor were typical goals. However, now, product developers focus on ingredients and labeling in addition to the texture. Many of the 1.0 versions of meat substitutes produced long labels containing unfamiliar food ingredients. Today, product developers are creating clean label foods that are animal-free including (in order of prevalence) plant-based beef, plant-based chicken, plant-based fish, plant-based pork and plant-based burger patties.

The Citri-Fi portfolio contains citrus fibers with varying particle sizes. Although they contribute fiber and aid in reducing saturated fats in meat alternatives, they also improve the quality. For instance, the Citri-Fi 100 series at less than 1% usage, is used in meat analogs to bind oil and water. As a result, plant-based meats retain their juiciness and succulence. The Citri-Fi TX creates a meat-like and firm texture when used at 2-4%

Other Clean Label Foods

Other hot clean label foods sought out include dairy products like yogurt. Citri-Fi citrus fiber at less than 1% usage controls syneresis to create thick, smooth and creamy textures. In frozen foods, Citri-Fi binds water to minimize crystallization in ice cream, create enhanced sauce textures in frozen meals and provides freeze/thaw stability in a variety of appetizers.

Regardless of the category, Citri-Fi citrus fiber helps formulators improve the nutrition, quality and texture of clean label foods. This natural citrus fiber is non-GMO, allergen-free and gluten-free. It contains no e-number which is relevant to regions like Europe. And now, USDA certified organic is offered.

For more information about Citri-Fi citrus fiber and the latest innovations, please contact us.

(Source: Google Analytics G4, 2023)

Fresh Pet Food: Prevent Water Separation using Citrus Fiber

Pet parents rearing furry babies continue to drive many of the pet humanization trends today especially in pet food and treats. With this in mind, pet humanization is a phenomena where pet owners treat their pets like children. These consumers purchase items that resemble products they purchase for themselves. For instance, pet owners tend to read food labels, select minimally processed foods and veer towards healthier versions. Due to this trend, fresh pet foods continue to thrive within the specialty pet food segment.

Fresh pet foods attract pet parents by their short ingredient lists, fresh raw materials and healthier positioning. For example, many pet parents believe that ‘real food’ should be stored in the same place as human food - the refrigerator. However, creating tasty fresh pet food comes with its own set of challenges. For instance, food preparation and storage affect the quality.

The Challenges when Making Fresh Pet Foods

Some fresh pet foods come pre-cooked and frozen in meal blocks. This improves food safety and minimizes the handling of raw foods. Companies ship the frozen meal blocks to consumers since many use an eCommerce model. Or some companies sell the food in freezer cases at brick-and-mortar stores. During preparation, the consumer needs to slack the frozen meal for several hours before serving. Depending on the food components, water separation is a common issue. For example, many fresh dog foods incorporate vegetables like carrots and peas in the meat matrix. Water tends to leech out during the slacking process creating a pool within the packaging.

Other companies pre-cook and package the fresh food mass into chubs. Retailers sell the chubs in refrigerator cases. Again, depending on the formulation, water migration is inevitable. The product weeps water which does not meet consumers’ expectations when feeding Fido.

Natural Solutions to Improve Refrigerated Pet Food

Though many consumers steer away from stabilizers and binders, some clean options which help bind water exist in the market. One ideal solution includes using Citri-Fi® citrus fiber. This natural ingredient is created from byproduct of the citrus juicing process. However, the key benefit of using Citri-Fi is its dual functionality. It not only binds water but also oil or fat that leech out of a food product during cooking, handling and storage.

At very low usage levels, 0.2%-1.0%, this citrus fiber locks in the water. And yet, not all citrus fibers are created the same. Citri-Fi uses a process that is free from chemical modifications that opens up the fiber. This process preserves the citrus fiber’s holistic composition so that it retains a high level of native pectin. Both the high surface area and the native pectin lock in the water. As a result, consumers prep fresh pet food without the watery mess. Other citrus fibers on the market provide limited water holding due to their processing. On the other hand, Citri-Fi, an upcycled ingredient tells a sustainable story from farm to pet bowl.

Citri-Fi citrus fiber is AAFCO approved. Labeling options include citrus fiber, dried citrus pulp or citrus flour. This natural ingredient is non-GMO Project certified, allergen-free, gluten-free, grain-free and made in the U.S.A.

The Future of Pet Foods

Other human trends crossing over into the pet food and treat category include plant-based foods. Because of this, the sky is the limit when creating new types of fresh pet foods as long as it is AAFCO approved. Since plant-based foods like vegetables and fruits tend to release water during storage, Citri-Fi can bind the water to create higher quality, natural pet food products.

For more information, please contacts us to order a sample.

Natural Emulsifier in Pet Foods: Citrus Fiber

Slowly you twist the can opener peeling back the lid without a sound. Regardless of the silence, your furry canines bolt into the room with their tongues swinging. Quickly you pour the contents into their bowls and watch them lap it up within seconds. In the end, this ritual sounds quick and simple. On the other hand, creating this healthy and nutritious pet food results in multiple challenges.

In the past, pets scavenged left-out scraps. However, over the years pet food companies changed this by creating specific foods for companion pets. And as time chugged along, standard pet foods bloomed into a variety of formats using multiple ingredients. Today, consumers demand label friendly pet food ingredients thanks to the humanization trend.

Formulation Challenges

Creating clean label pet foods poses multiple challenges which affect texture, stability and palatability. For instance, some pet foods contain oil and water which rely on emulsification to keep them bound over time. However, the market offers very few natural emulsifiers. Without emulsification, water and oil separate negatively affecting the texture and shelf stability. Some examples of these foods include canned or wet foods, fresh foods in chubs and semi-moist treats.

Citrus Fiber, a Natural Emulsifier

Plant-based fibers are commonly used in the pet industry to improve product quality in addition to enhancing nutrition. At the same time, one functional fiber sticks out in popularity due to its high water holding and emulsification properties. Citri-Fi is an upcycled citrus fiber produced from byproduct of the citrus juicing process. Due to Citri-Fi’s highly exposed surface area and high level of pectin content, this natural pet food ingredient binds oil and water creating stability over time. For instance, in semi-soft chews or wet pet food applications, this citrus fiber forms an oil-in-water emulsion to stabilize ingredients into a homogeneous system.

A simplified model system testing varying concentrations of oil, water and fiber in addition to various oil types and challenging storage conditions demonstrates this. The results indicate that Citri-Fi emulsifies up to 60% oil to form stable oil-in-water emulsions when using 2-4% citrus fiber depending on the oil type and storage conditions. As a result, this equates to citrus fibers being able to hold up to 25 times of water and 30 times of oil in the emulsion.

Additionally, the high oil binding property of citrus fibers improves extruded products where oils add unwanted lubricity. The citrus fiber binds the free oil in the system. In addition, Citri-Fi is compatible with other pet food ingredients like flavors, colors, thickening or gelling agents or other nutritional components. Moreover, this natural citrus fiber is thermally stable in high temperatures such as in extrusion processes without losing its functionality.

Other Benefits of Citrus Fiber

Citri-Fi contributes dietary fiber in addition to reducing caloric content when replacing higher caloric pet food ingredients. This natural citrus fiber is non-GMO, allergen-free and gluten-free. Citri-Fi’s labeling options include citrus fiber, dried citrus pulp or citrus flour which all resonate well in the natural and clean label markets. Additionally, dried citrus pulp is AFFCO approved.

For more information about citrus fiber as a natural emulsifier and functional pet food ingredient, please contact us.

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Tag: pet food