Dry soups & sauces
Texture & taste
Dry Soups and Sauces are mixes of ingredients such as flavors, texturizers and filling agents. The soup is prepared by addition of cold water followed by heating or cooking. Alternatively, boiling water can be added to the mix and after stirring, the product is ready (so-called instant soups or sauces). Usually, the soup or sauce is consumed immediately with exception of the catering industry where simmer stability is required.
As the ingredients for dry soups and sauces are not fresh, often the taste is a challenge. As the texturizing ingredients, including starches, are a major part of the formula, they should be neutral in taste and not mask the flavor ingredients. Next to that, the viscosity development should be fast in order to reduce cooking time or in case of instant soups or sauces, to allow preparation by addition of boiling water.
Potato starch is the perfect choice for dry soups and sauces. Potato starch has a low gelatinization temperature leading to fast viscosity development. Due to the absence of proteins and fat, potato starch has a very neutral taste so it does not mask the flavor components. The high viscosity of potato starch allows lower dosage of starch compared to other starches. Finally yet importantly, potato starch provides high clarity, ideal for clear soups and sauces. Emsland Groups has a broad portfolio of dried native potato starches, Empure® clean label functional starches and Emflo® modified starches for packed dry soups and sauces, catering solutions and texture enhancement.
Product highlights
Wet soups & sauces
Texture & shelf life stability
Wet soups and sauces such as soups and sauces in cans or pouches are pasteurized or sterilized to make them shelf life stable. The texturizers used for these products should therefore be able to withstand these processing conditions.
Modified starches are very important ingredients for wet soups and sauces. Due to the high viscosity and neutral flavor, Emflo® 991 and Emden® KVH 1840 are often used for wet soups and sauces. These products provide a slightly granular texture, perfect for tomato-, pulse- or potato-based soups and sauces. Emjel® E 70 can be used as filling aid for canned soups and sauces.
Product highlights
Emulsified sauces
Texture & creaminess
Emulsified sauces such as mayonnaise are popular for their creamy and light texture. When starches are used in emulsified sauces to give the emulsion a fuller mouthfeel in low-fat dressings, the texture is often the challenge as starches can lead to heavy and sticky textures.
The inherent high viscosity and creamy mouthfeel of Emjel® EP 300 makes it the perfect texturizer for low fat dressings or salad creams. Due to the low protein and fat level of potato starch, minimal off-flavors or masking is found.
Emsland Group also offers a plant-based emulsifier based on pea protein, Empro® E 86 HV.
