Cognis Launch New Water Dispersible Plant Sterols
Until now, the choice of ingredient for these foods would have been either ground free sterols – which have associated disadvantages of dusting and lumping - or plant sterol esters with a fatty acid content of approximately 40%.
26/10/07 Manufacturers wanting to add cholesterol-lowering benefits to their cheese and rye bread products without adding more fat will welcome the launch of Vegapure F 90 ME plant sterols from Cognis Nutrition & Health.
Until now, the choice of ingredient for these foods would have been either ground free sterols – which have associated disadvantages of dusting and lumping - or plant sterol esters with a fatty acid content of approximately 40%. This fat level is unsuitable for such applications; the total amount of fat is limited to a maximum of 12% in cheese and, in rye bread, traditionally no fat is added.
The innovative solution developed by the Cognis research and development team is Vegapure F 90 ME plant sterols, which feature an active sterol content of more than 85%, the highest sterol concentration on the market for water-dispersible formulations, and no additional fat.
Free sterols have a high melting point of approximately 140°C and are normally ground to a very small particle size. However, in foods, they have the disadvantage of lumping, dusting and reluctance to disperse in water. Cognis, a global leader in plant sterol processing, has solved these problems by using a special process and formulating the free sterols with skimmed milk powder to yield a free-flowing and water-dispersible formulation.
Vegapure F 90 ME is recommended for use in rye bread, cheese and other dairy products. It is also suitable for use in food supplement applications such as tablets, hard shell caps or instant powders, subject to compliance with local laws and regulations. Samples of rye bread containing the new ingredient are available to taste at the Cognis stand, D100 at FiE.
