CHOOSING THE RIGHT STABILISER FOR MASCARPONE AND CREAM CHEESE PRODUCTS
When producing speciality dairy products like MASCARPONE, Cream Cheese, or high-fat Cream Cheese, the choice of stabiliser plays a critical role in achieving consistent texture, stability, and processing performance.
Two key stabilisers commonly used across these applications are ifaGel 100 and ifaGel 200. Each is tailored for different processing environments, especially with regard to homogenisation, which is a common in industrial Cream Cheese and Baking Cream Cheese production.
Product Overview
ifaGel 100
* Suitable for Non-homogenised Mascarpone & Cream Cheese.
* Get damaged during homogenisation.
* Relatively Lower Cost than ifaGel 200.
ifaGel 200
* Suitable for homogenised Marcarpone, Cream Cheese, and baking applications.
* Suitable for homogenised Marcarpone, Cream Cheese, and baking applications.
* Stable under homogenisation.
* Relatively Higher Cost than ifaGel 100.
Key Differences
ifaGel 100: For Non-Homogenised Applications
* Ideal for traditional Mascarpone and artisan Cream Cheese made without homogenisation.
* Offers a rich, creamy texture and excellent spreadability.
* Not suitable for high-shear or high-pressure processing - the stabiliser can be damaged, leading to phase separation or loss of structure.
* Suitable for products where gentle processing is used and cost-efficiency is priority.
ifaGel 200: Homogenised and Industrial Applications
* Specially formulated to withstand homogenisation and other high-shear processing steps.
* Suitable for:
* Homogenised Mascarpone,
* Cream Cheese with consistent smooth texture,
* Baking Cream Cheese where thermal stability is important,
* High-fat Cream Cheese needing firmness and shape retention.
* Provides superior emulsification, improve shelf-life, and stable performance under stress.
* Comes at a higher cost due to its enhanced functionality and multi-purpose versatility.
Applications by Product Type
* Mascarpone (non-homogenised) - ifaGel 100
* Mascarpone (homogenised) - ifaGel 200
* Cream Cheese (classic) - ifaGel 100 or ifaGel 200
* Baking Cream Cheese - ifaGel 200
* High-Fat Cream Cheese - ifaGel 200
NOTE: Choice depends on whether the process includes homogenisation.
Which One Should You Use?
* Choose ifaGel 100 for gently processed products where cost-efficiency is key, and homogenisation is not used.
* Choose ifaGel 200 for homogenised, bake-stable, or high-fat cream cheese products that need processing resilience and texture stability.
Conclusion
In the production of Mascarpone and Cream Cheese variants, your choice of stabiliser should align with your processing methods and end-use applications.
* ifaGel 100 is ideal for traditional, non-homogenised products.
* ifaGel 200 is essential for high-shear environments, offering durability and consistency in demanding applications like baking cream cheese and high-fat spreads.
Contact use for Technical Assistance
technicalinfo@dynamiko.co.za
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