The application of hydrocolloids can be traced back to ancient Egypt, Europeans have long been familiar with St. John’s bread that acacia bean gum. China’s Jin Dynasty has begun to cultivate konjac, (Shu Du Fu) in the clouds of its nursery is a medicine Jian, capsule Jian refers to konjac (which can be used to produce hydrophilic colloid konjac gum), with the progress of social production more and more hydrophilic colloids are used in the field of food and medicine.

So far the world can be used in the food industry has more than 40 kinds of hydrocolloids its source and distribution is very wide. Hydrocolloid is a kind of large in polysaccharide, its basic chemical composition unit is monosaccharide and its derivatives. Some hydrocolloids also contain non-sugar parts, this special chemical composition gives hydrocolloids very special properties, usually can be used as gelling agents, thickeners, emulsifiers, film-forming agents, water-holding agents, adhesives, suspending agents, clarifiers, crystal impediment, foam stabilizers, lubricants, etc. applied to food.

There are more types of hydrocolloids, such as alginate, carrageenan, xanthan gum, locust bean gum, guar gum, and pectin.

In the production of beverages it can not only be used as a thickener and gelling agent, but also to control the fluidity and texture of liquid food, change the deformability of semi-solid food and so on.

Usually the concentration of 0.025-0.5% can produce viscosity and gel formation, in order to effectively improve the organoleptic properties of beverages and increase the stability of beverages, beverage production should choose the appropriate type of colloid, the selection of hydrophilic colloid should be the main consideration of the following factors: the stability of the same pH conditions, the impact of electrolytes on the colloid, and other components of the food (sugars, salts, proteins, and other additives) of the synergy, product organization and morphology. Synergies, product organization (transparency, turbidity) and taste (crispness, fullness), ease of use (solubility, storage stability), price or relative cost. Food additive regulations, etc.

Often a single colloid cannot fulfill all the conditions for application in the same beverage. Therefore, different edible colloids should be compounded to produce 1+1>2. 1+1=2 or even 1+1<2 to achieve the desired application. Aiming at the market for several types of common beverages to talk about the application characteristics of hydrocolloids.

Acidic fruit and vegetable juice drinks

The pH value of acidic fruit juice drinks is usually less than 4.0, because heat-resistant bacteria are difficult to grow and reproduce at pH 4.0 or below. Therefore, its sterilization object is mostly less heat-resistant mold surface or yeast, in order to maintain the freshness of the juice, usually using pasteurization or atmospheric pressure.

Boiling water sterilization and most of the acidic sparse vegetable juice pH value of about 5.0, due to its relatively high pH value. Therefore, the sterilization object is thermophilic bacteria, high temperature and high pressure sterilization must be used, therefore, acidic fruit juice beverages and acidic vegetable juice beverages should be different for the choice of stabilizers: the former should be selected to use acid-resistant stabilizers, such as instant pectin, instant xanthan gum, propylene glycol alginate and so on. The latter should choose a stronger heat-resistant stabilizers, such as instant xanthan gum and instant CMC.

In addition, fruit and vegetable juices usually have high requirements for taste, not only to have a sense of fullness and must be crisp, so the viscosity should be selected and relatively weak gel properties of the stabilizer. Such as instant xanthan gum, propylene glycol sea bleaching acid ester and instant CMC. If the juice contains a large number of pulp or fruit fiber, it should choose a larger viscosity, a certain gel ability of the colloid, such as low temperature activation type agar, instant pectin and the appropriate compound colloid.

Dairy drinks

Milk-containing beverages are usually composed of fruit juice, fresh milk or dairy products (fermented milk), sweeteners and stabilizers, due to liquid milk in the production and storage process often appear some quality defects (such as neutral liquid dairy products are prone to bad flavor, fat uplift, protein coagulation, transparency, lack of milk flavor, delamination, sedimentation and other phenomena.

Acidic liquid dairy products are prone to produce sour taste of whey precipitation, fat floating, protein precipitation, layering, poor taste, milk flavor and other phenomena). Therefore, dairy drinks made from liquid milk or reduced liquid milk also have the same potential for the above quality defects. At the same time, because the milk protein is easy to coagulate and precipitate with the fruit juice in the fruit acid, pectin, tannin and other substances. Therefore, how to choose the right stabilizer to solve the above problems is the first priority to be considered in the development of milk beverage formulations.

Instant pectin, instant xanthan gum, propylene glycol alginate and instant CMC can be used as emulsion stabilizers to increase the stability of milky beverages, neutral milky beverages can also be used carrageenan, etc., as an emulsion stabilizer. In addition, we can also provide stabilizers dedicated to neutral milk-containing beverages such as peanut milk, coconut milk, walnut milk, almond milk, sesame milk, sweet milk, soy milk, coffee milk, chocolate milk, etc. and stabilizers specialized in acidic milk-containing beverages (capable of protecting proteins and enhancing the smoothness of beverages under acidic heating conditions).

Carbonated beverages

In the production process of carbonated beverages, it is usually necessary to make emulsified flavors or main agents from essential oils, so emulsifying stabilizers play an important role in the production of carbonated beverages. Among hydrocolloids, gum arabic and modified starch are the most widely used hydrocolloids for making such emulsified flavors or main agents.

In addition, in order to enhance the emulsifying ability of gum arabic on the basis of traditional gum arabic for grafting modification, the production of modified gum arabic, for the production of a high number of emulsified flavors and emulsified flavors to save the cost of the formulation of the possibility of emulsified flavors.

Functional Beverages

With the popularity of herbal tea, a series of functional health beverages and substitute beverages have been emerging in the market. Hydrocolloids play an important role in the production of such beverages. Firstly, within the scope of regulations, hydrocolloids can be added into beverages as dietary fibers, such as gum arabic, inulin, and deodorized guar gum, etc. Secondly, hydrocolloids also have the functions of preventing sedimentation and delamination, protecting grain protein, controlling water absorption and swelling of crude fibers, and preventing starch aging in the shelf life, etc. in the food and beverage substitutes of cereals that contain a large amount of crude fibers. Starch aging during shelf life. Compound stabilizers are one of the good choices for solving such product quality problems.

Solid beverages

Hydrocolloids in solid beverages have the function of enhancing the taste and suspending the fine solid particles (such as tea powder, coffee powder, cocoa powder) which are difficult to dissolve in water. As solid beverages are very concerned about the brewing and ready-to-eat, so we must choose a strong instant solubility, microbial control is more stringent colloidal products. Such as instant xanthan gum, instant, deodorized guar gum and carrageenan.

Others

In beer and other alcoholic beverages propylene glycol alginate can be used as a foam stabilizer. In beverages containing natural or artificial suspended pulp can be used as a suspended colloid will have a place, in the pH value of only 1.5-2.1 of the oral spray-type liquid candy (a low-acid drinks) in the need for acid-resistant strong instant xanthan gum and instant pectin and so on.

In recent years, the speed of beverage innovation is faster, many novel and interesting nutritious and delicious beverages continue to emerge in the market, so the application of hydrocolloids in beverages will inevitably be more and more, and the application of technology needs to be perfected by the beverage formulation developers and hydrocolloid development and application of the joint efforts of personnel.