The corona pandemic has caused major economic problems around the world, and some industries remain at a standstill. This is having a huge effect on consumer purchasing power. Lower-cost recipes are needed to ensure sufficient food supplies at affordable prices. Hydrosol has addressed this with the development of solutions for the cost-effective production of dairy, deli and meat and sausage products.

Cheese and milk products: Tasty and affordable
For toppings for hot dogs, pasta or convenience products, Hydrosol offers a stabilising system for making spreadable cheese analogues for squeeze tubes. The system gives a creamy mouthfeel even with just 20% cheese content, and the products can be eaten hot or cold. For example, they can be heated to about 40°C before eating, and adhere to warm pasta very well. Due to their high viscosity, the products can be filled and marketed in various kinds of tubes and squeeze packages.

From milk drinks and vegetable-based cream for whipping or cooking, to breakfast cream, to yogurt products for spoon eating or drinking, the Stabisol and Stabimuls series of functional systems offer a wide spectrum of possibilities for cost-reduced recipes. These include various pudding variations with creamy mouthfeel and satiny sheen. Using the systems, it is possible to make economical puddings based on skim milk and sweet whey powder using a continuous heat exchanger and high-pressure homogeniser. The texture of the end product can be adjusted by changing the filling temperature and dosage of the stabiliser system. Another special feature is that in combination with protein mixes from the Stabiprot series, manufacturers can also make premium products to satisfy the consumer demand for protein-rich puddings.

Affordable deli foods
Reduced-cost mayonnaises and bread spreads are further categories for which Hydrosol has developed economical formulations. One example is a sandwich spread with a reduced fat content of 40%. Its consistency is reminiscent of margarine, but the flavour has a fine butter note. It has advantages over butter – for one thing, a substantially lower fat content and the lower pricing that goes with it. For another, due to its low pH the product doesn’t need to be refrigerated. Other flavours are possible if desired by customers. Independently of that, the Stabimuls functional systems improve the mouthfeel and stability of the final products.

Cost-conscious solutions can also be provided for ketchup and other types of red sauces. A key factor in these is their tomato content, which can be reduced to give the most economical product possible. The resulting change in viscosity is compensated by the stabilising system, and by adding plant fibre if necessary. This makes it possible to manufacture sauces with various tomato and sugar contents. Production takes place with standard equipment, for example cooking vessels with stirrers.

Economical solutions for meat and sausage products
Hydrosol offers solutions for the meat processing industry which can improve the quality of meat and sausage products, as well as boosting continuity and dependability in production, even with varying meat quality. For example, economical recipes for sausages and cooked cured meats are simple to produce using all-in systems from the HydroTOP CS range. These are suitable for many different sausage products, from scalded sausage to large-diameter cold cuts like mortadella to grill sausages and bratwursts. They can also be used for cooked cured products. The formulations can be individually adjusted depending on the meat component. Furthermore, these functional systems work regardless of the kind of meat. They reduce cooking loss and boost yield, while improving texture and bite.

Fast cycle times and good processability are important in the production of convenience foods, especially in the meat industry. This makes it important to ensure good binding in the process, even with cost-effective recipes. With ground meat products like burger patties and meatballs, or regional variants like cevapcici, the HydroTOP Perfect range gives the final product better binding and so provides for higher consumer acceptance. The fried meat is juicier and the natural fibre structure is retained. Especially with pre-fried breaded chicken products, low cooking loss and crispy, intact breading are very important. The HydroTOP Perfect systems meet these requirements and also feature simple use. They can be added during mixing, without pre-emulsion or complicated process adjustments. This saves time in production, reduces weight loss in pre-cooking, and gives the end product the perfect bite at eating temperature.

For more information visit www.hydrosol.de.