Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
13.3.1 Building a seasoning, sauce or fl avouring system
Following the pyramid structure from bottom to top, each block of ingredients is
added in turn.
Block A: Functional ingredients
The functional ingredients are selected specifi cally for the type of ingredient
system being developed and the type of food product in which they will be used.
They will include starches for viscosity and texture, proteins for binding,
antioxidants and preservatives, fat powders and hydrocolloids.
Block B: Carriers and bulk ingredients
Next are the carriers and bulk ingredients, beginning with two of the basic tastes
- salt and sugar. Salt has both functional water binding and fl avour properties in a
food product and this holds for whichever type of salt is used, for example pure
dried vacuum (PDV) salt or sea salt. From a fl avour point of view, the salt content
is formulated to be within two general outer limits.
The upper limit is where the salt fl avour becomes overpowering and unpalatable
and generally for savoury products; cured meats aside, an upper limit of 1.5% in
the ready-to-eat (RTE) product is appropriate. As there is a current worldwide
programme to reduce salt in our diets the upper limit is more likely to be the level
prescribed in legislation or advised by governmental bodies. In the UK salt
guidelines have been issued with targets for the food industry to meet in 2010 and
in 2012 (FSA 2009). In Europe, the European Commission has set a target of a
16% salt reduction in diets over four years but in general salt is not currently being
regulated as much as in UK.
The lower limit for salt content is the level where the salt still has a fl avour and,
whilst each person has a different threshold for tasting salt, this level is
approximately 0.3-0.5% in a savoury product. For most savoury products a salt
level of 0.8-1.0% RTE is a good starting point.
The sugar content depends on the type of product being developed. A meaty
savoury product would for example contain less sugar (for example a pork sausage
can contain up to approximately 1% sugar, either as sucrose or dextrose), whilst a
sweet savoury product such as a sweet and sour meat product will contain a much
higher sugar content (for example a Chinese glazed pork rib can contain up to
approximately 5% sugars in various forms). It is worth noting that a too high level
of sugar in a reformed or comminuted meat product can have a detrimental effect,
giving rise to a softer bite to the meat due to its interference in the extraction by
salt of salt-soluble meat sarcoplasmic and myosin proteins.
Maltodextrin, the 'more natural' glucose syrup or lactose, may be used as a less
sweet option to sugar, having approximately 20-30% the sweetness of dextrose
(glucose) and hence 16-24% the sweetness of sucrose.
The other carriers or bulk ingredients such as wheat fl our, breadcrumb, rusk and
rice fl our, as well as having desirable water-binding qualities, also have another
function in dry savoury seasonings as fl ow agents. Many of the dry ingredient
blends discussed contain hygroscopic ingredients such as yeast extracts and
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