"For 30 per cent mayonnaise, we've calculated that manufacturers can make a saving of €15.64 for every 100kg of mayonnaise produced, taking into account what ingredients have been added and what have been taken away," said Kristian Hansen, application technician at Palsgaard's Lipid Fine Food Group.
In addition, theproduct could also help food makers tap into the growing trend towards low fat food.
"This has led to increased interest in the development of all-vegetable mayonnaise in many countries in and outside Europe," said Hansen.
In all-vegetable mayonnaises the egg and milk protein content is substituted by other emulsifying agents such as emulsifying starches, which reduce the interfacial tension between the oil and the water.
By using emulsifying starches, a stable emulsion with small oil droplets is obtained. The attraction to consumers is that such a product offers no cholesterol and no lactose.
This however is not easy to achieve. "All-vegetable mayonnaise means no eggs, no milk solids and the achievement of a fat content of between 20 and 60 per cent," said Hansen. "There is also local legislation to be taken into consideration."
As a result, Palsgaard was on hand at FiE last week to demonstrate the effectiveness of its emulsifier/stabiliser systems Palsgaard 5413 and Palsgaard 5414. These consist of different types of modified starches and gums and are designed to secure good emulsion stability together with a pleasant texture and a good mouthfeel.
"It is possible to produce vegetable mayonnaise with a fat content of 60 per cent to 20 per cent," said Hansen. "In fact, the production process for all-vegetable mayonnaise is similar to that of normal types of mayonnaise."
The advantage for manufacturers, according to Hansen, is that they are able to replace expensive raw materials with a simple emulsifier solution.
The all-in-one blend is also easy to handle in production, and offers the same quality all year around. There is no need to label a product as containing eggs and / or milk, which could also be an advantage in targeting consumers with allergies.
"Looking at the market in the EU and the rest of the world, the trend is for high quality but low cost," said Hansen. "The market for medium cost products is declining. With this product you have both - high quality and low cost."