MARGARINE & GHEE
Margarine and ghee are fats used in cooking and baking but with different origins and properties.
Margarine is a stabilized water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion. This confers utmost importance not only on the production process which must take place but also on the use of emulsifiers.
Ghee is an all-purpose cooking fat widely used in the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East, prepared by simmering butter.
Following consumer demand, margarine and ghee are now primarily based on vegetable fat, and their ingredients are selected to obtain a healthy and functional product.
The proper selection of lecithin and emulsifiers is a critical point in obtaining the desired properties in every margarine. The technological contribution of emulsifiers in margarine is not limited to stabilizing the emulsion but also improving the production process, the plasticity of the puff pastry margarine, or adding air in cream and cake margarine, among others.
In margarine, problems can arise due to the manufacturing process, incorrect resting, the choice of the fatty phase, problems during storage, changes in temperature during transport, etc. Lasenor solution for these problems is a range of products that modifies fat crystallization: VEROL® CRS and NORGRAS® CRS (clean label range). These crystallizers prevent the migration of soft fats to the surface, avoiding the oiling-out effect without modifying the fat melting point. In Frying margarine, Sorbitan Tristearate (E-492) is also used as a crystallization controller that improves the fluidity of the liquid margarine.
Table margarine is served directly to the final consumer and must have excellent spreadability, smell, and taste characteristics. This kind of margarine can have different water content to satisfy the demand for light products. Depending on this water content, we can suggest a different combination of emulsifiers.
80% FAT MARGARINE
This type of margarine must perform well in spreading on bread and have an unbeatable taste and smell. Even if the universal emulsifier is distilled monoglyceride (E-471), traditionally, other products with lower monoglyceride content can also be used at higher dosages with good results.
The following Lasenor products are suitable for this application:
VEROL® (distilled monoglyceride – E-471)
GIRALEC® (Sunflower lecithin)
VEROLEC® NON GMO IP (Non GM Soy lecithin)
VEROLEC® (GM Soy lecithin)
LOW-FAT MARGARINE
Even with margarine containing only 20% fat (and therefore 80% water), the emulsion is still W/O. This means that the external phase (oil) has many tiny water droplets, increasing the viscosity. Stabilizers must be added to the aqueous phase (like pectins, carrageenans, alginates, etc.), which help to balance the viscosity of both phases. The addition of powder milk to the aqueous phase helps to improve the flavor (resembles to butter). But milk protein destabilizes the margarine emulsion, so we must counteract this effect.
When working with higher quantities of water, the emulsion becomes critical. The higher the proportion of water, the lower the flavor contribution in the finished product. The complexity of these margarine means the emulsifiers dosage must be higher, and it is highly advised to combine different emulsifiers to obtain synergistic effects. For recipes with very low-fat content (less than 41%), the addition of polyglycerol polyricinoleate (E-476), for example, is useful for its good water-binding properties.
For this application, you can find the following range of products:
VEROL® (distilled monoglyceride – E-471)
VEROL® PR ( polyglycerol polyricinoleate – E-476)
VEROL® CRS (Crystallizer)
GIRALEC® (sunflower lecithin)
VEROLEC® NON GMO IP (Non GM Soy lecithin)
VEROLEC® (GM Soy lecithin)
This margarine is a fat contribution in manufacturing puff pastry dough made of flour and water. In manufacturing, the pâtissier must spread this dough several times with the margarine until it achieves the desired number of layers.
Margarine must be firm to withstand the process without releasing oil and contribute to the excellent development of the layers during baking.
The function of the emulsifier, in this type of margarine, is to stabilize the emulsion but also to improve the plasticity and contribute to stability when there are freezing/defrosting stages.
Universal emulsifiers like distilled monoglyceride or mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E-471) are always a good choice. They can be added independently or combined with soy or sunflower lecithin (E-322). To improve plasticity, polyglycerol esters (E-475) are suggested.
Lasenor products for this application are:
VEROL® (distilled monoglyceride – E-471)
VEROL® P ( polyglycerol esters – E-475)
VEROL® CRS (Crystallizer)
GIRALEC® (sunflower lecithin)
VEROLEC® NON GMO IP (Non GM Soy lecithin)
VEROLEC® (GM Soy lecithin)
It is advantageous to incorporate air into margarine for creams and cakes. This type of margarine must be soft formulations, but they must remain stable without liquidizing or separating oil.
They are used in recipes for sponge cakes: they incorporate air when the dough is beaten and confer an excellent structure to the sponge. They are also used for whipping with sugar, glucose, or other syrups, for obtaining fillings and decorations for cakes.
Lasenor recommends distilled monoglycerides or mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E-471) in combination with polyglycerol esters (E-475).
Lasenor products for this application are:
VEROL® (distilled monoglyceride – E-471)
VEROL® P ( polyglycerol esters – E-475)
VEROL® IG (Sunflower-based mono- and diglycerides E-471)
Margarine is used for frying instead of oil in many countries. The typical composition of frying margarine is around 70-80% fat content and, therefore, 20-30% water content. For this reason, when this margarine is placed on a hot frying pan, the emulsion tends to destabilize, and the aqueous phase descends towards the bottom, which has a high temperature. The water then starts boiling, producing small explosions and spatters, known as the spattering effect.
Moreover, frying margarine should not stick to the pan, produce excessive foam on the surface or acquire too much colour, and the frying must be homogeneous.
The recommended emulsifiers are focused on stabilizing the emulsion, like distilled monoglycerides (E-471), and also on contributing this extra affinity for the aqueous phase conferred by citric acid esters (E-472c) or hydrolyzed lecithin (E-322).
Lasenor specializes in developing tailor-made products blending different emulsifiers, which will confer the desired characteristics of margarine for frying.
Lasenor products for this application are:
VEROL® (distilled monoglycerides -E-471)
NEOVEROL® 65 (Sorbitan Tristearate -E-492)
VEROL® CRS (Crystallizer)
CORIS® (E-472c)
GIRALEC® HE (Hydrolyzed Sunflower lecithin)
SEMILEC® HE (Hydrolyzed Rapeseed lecithin)
VEROLEC® HE (Hydrolyzed Soy lecithin)
Ghee is an all-purpose cooking fat widely used in the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East, prepared by simmering butter. Traditionally, ghee is made from the milk of cows or goats.
Also common is vegetable ghee, called Smen or Vanaspati. It is a blend of different fats processed to imitate Ghee in texture and flavor. To obtain the required solid content in the production of vegetable Ghee, one can combine unsaturated vegetable oils and other fractions. Thus, fats used do not require hydrogenation, which makes vegetable Ghee a product free from trans fatty acids and cholesterol and with lower content of saturated fatty acids. But at the same time, it requires specific emulsifiers to promote and stabilize the crystal structure.
Lasenor emulsifiers promote Ghee crystallization, stabilize fats, avoid oil separation, and create a distinctive texture.
Special emulsifiers for Ghee, manufactured by Lasenor under the brand Verol® CRS, will accelerate and promote the formation of the appropriate crystal network while keeping the Solid Fat Content (SFC) at each temperature unchanged. So, the melting point will not be modified.
The use of specific Verol® CRS products in Ghee provides:
- Enhanced resistance to oiling out.
- Improved texture.
