Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
process. The resultant oleoresin has a fl avour that is closer to the whole fl avour
profi le of the original material but with the added advantages of lower colour (an
advantage in many savoury products), sharper more top note fl avour (as opposed
to the 'dry' fl avour associated with some dried spices), and of great importance,
negligible microbiological loading.
Although the oils and oleoresins can be added in their liquid form directly into
foods, it is more common to fi rst plate them on to a carrier at a level such that the
resultant material is equivalent in fl avour strength to the original spice or herb.
Commonly used as carriers are salt, dextrose, rusk or mixtures of these.
13.2.8 Food acids
The use of acids in savoury foods is widespread, the most commonly used being
acetic acid in the form of vinegar such as malt or distilled malt vinegar. Vinegars
differ in their acetic acid content: malt vinegar and distilled malt vinegar (4-8%),
spirit vinegar (15-20%), red or white wine vinegar (5-6%) and cider vinegar
(5-6%) are the most popular forms of liquid vinegar. Balsamic vinegar (5-7%)
has recently become a more important ingredient due to its use by celebrity TV
chefs. Vinegars have multiple uses in savoury foods; they are a preservative in
ambient liquid sauces, meat products and in pickle systems, they add fl avour and
they act as a tenderising agent in meat. For the dry savoury food developer these
vinegars also now exist as spray-dried powders, generally on a maltodextrin
carrier; acid values up to approximately 10% as acetic acid are possible, which
compares favourably with the liquid alternatives.
Citric acid is used in its powder or fi ne granulated form and is generally used
as a fl avour enhancer or as a means of sharpening the fl avour. Its impact is
immediate on the palate and is a useful way of sharpening the overall fl avour or
adding to acid-based fl avours such as tomato.
Malic acid is used in a fi ne granular form and, apart from sharpening a fl avour
system, is primarily used as an apple fl avour, having a fl avour similar to crab
apples, the small tart fruit of the deciduous trees of the genus
Malus
.
Lactic acid fi nds use as either fl avouring or a preservative (see Section 13.7.4
on removal of preservatives, E200s). It is derived in its natural form from dairy
origins or from microbial fermentation of non-dairy substrate. It is used to boost
or modify dairy fl avours such as cheese, yoghurt or sour cream type fl avours.
13.2.9 Yeasts and yeast extracts
Only in the UK and some of Europe have yeasts become the standard preferred
tool of the savoury food formulators for the replacement of both MSG and HVP.
In these regions they have become invaluable in providing a balanced savoury
fl avour to a product. The various forms are summarised in Table 13.4.
It can be seen that the range is wide ranging. Dark yeast extracts usually
derived from brewers' yeasts are used to give a general meaty character to a
savoury food really as replacements for HVPs, which are still widely used across
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