Consuming sufficient dietary fibre is essential to maintain a healthy digestive system. There are two main types of fibre – soluble and insoluble – and many different components of plants act as dietary fibres, including cellulose, lignin, beta-glucans and oligosaccharides. Insoluble fibre passes straight through the digestive tract unchanged. Because it absorbs water on the […]
The modern desire to eat sweet foods that don’t make you fat has led to the development of a variety of low calorie intense sweeteners that are much sweeter than sucrose, and only need to be used in tiny amounts to satisfy the taste buds. They aren’t a modern invention – the first, saccharin, was
Humans have always found ways to preserve their food to stop it spoiling before it can be eaten. Many of the bacteria and moulds that grow on food can be dangerous. Salmonella, listeria and botulism are familiar forms of food poisoning caused by bacteria, and one of the most infamous food poisoning incidents in history
Preservatives in food Read More »
The texture of food is important for the look and feel of food, and also for digestion. Thickening and stabilising agents are gums that work with emulsifiers to maintain the texture of food, and create texture in water-based products that would otherwise be runny. Ingredients such as flour, cornflour and arrowroot have been used for
Gelling agents, thickeners & stabilisers Read More »
One of the most important qualities of our food is the flavour – it has to taste good. All flavours are a subtle mix of the five basic tastes – salt, sweet, bitter, sour and savoury – combined with the aromas that the foods give off, which are a crucial part of the way foods
Oil and water don’t mix but they do form emulsions – and these are crucial to the consistency of a number of foodstuffs. Nature is good at making emulsions, and the classic example is milk, where a complex mixture of fat droplets are suspended in an aqueous solution. Emulsifiers are the chemicals that make emulsions
Emulsifiers in food Read More »
Many powdery and granular food products have a tendency to absorb water and clump together. Whether it’s table salt, icing sugar, non-dairy creamer, instant soup or even grated parmesan cheese, if the ingredients don’t flow freely then they are difficult to use. Salt cellars wouldn’t dispense salt, drink vending machines would block up, and the
Anti-caking agents Read More »
Univar is a leading global chemical distributor. Univar’s strong sales and marketing teams complement chemical producers and create value for customers. The company provides technical expertise in application development, excellence in logistics support, and outstanding customer service to help its partners grow their business.
Unbar Rothon supplies food manufacturers with a range of functional and natural ingredients, including dried spices, dried herbs, dried fruits, dried vegetables, seasoning, essences, oleoresins, natural extracts, natural colours, natural flavours, and smoke extracts.
A specialist manufacturer of controlled release flavourings and ingredients. Since we began in 1992, we have been at the forefront of microencapsulation technology, pioneering solutions to leading food manufacturers worldwide. We already offer creative solutions to the bakery, confectionery, chewing gum and sports nutrition markets and are always looking for new businesses and sectors that
