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Stabilisers, thickeners and gelling agents
Different foods have different consistencies and textures. No two stabilisers, thickeners or gelling agents are exactly the same, and one will usually be more effective in a particular application than another. For example, phosphates retain natural juices, particularly in meat products, thus preserving the moisture of the products during cooking.
Stabilisers, thickeners and gelling agents can also interact with other components in food, making them particularly suitable for certain applications. Carrageenan, for example, will react with milk proteins to give a soft gel, which prevents cocoa particles from separating out in chocolate milk.
Processing conditions also have an impact. Some foods need a hot-setting gelling agent such as pectin, and others a cold-setting agent, for example alginate. Starch has been used in food products for very many years to bind, thicken, texture, stabilise and form gels. Modified starches were developed to improve the properties of starch in processing, for example in cooking, canning, sterilisation and to being frozen and thawed. They are also much more suitable for modern food products, such as instant meals, microwaveable products, and foods that need to be heated to extremely high temperatures.
It is often more effective to use a mixture of stabilisers than one on its own. This is particularly the case for ice-cream manufacture.
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