Nexira, the organic ingredient producer, recently showcased Naltive, its new locust bean gum (LBG) premium texturizer, at this year’s Fi Europe (FiE) trade show in Frankfurt, Germany. Nexira says the texturizer offers the highest viscosity at lower temperature for use in plant-based recipes.
“Our LBG can reach 80 to 90% of its maximum potential viscosity at 50°C, whereas other types of LBG need to increase the temperature to 85°C to reach that level of viscosity, Olivier Houalla, managing director, operations, Nexira, tells FoodIngredientsFirst from the show floor.
Naltive LBG is jointly produced by two companies; Nexira and Unipektin Ingredients. “It’s a 50/50 effort,” according to Houalla.
Unipektin already had expertise in this kind of product, and Nexira has helped it develop in a more efficient way, he notes.
“This allows Nexira to have a solution for a variety of applications on the market – any application that needs texturizing or stabilizing ingredients. We can have both the answer and the solution.”
Although Naltive LBG 190 FV is a high grade, off-white LBG boasting no black specks, its most prized quality is that it can reach up to 90% of its maximum potential viscosity at 50°C.
This allows for efficient use in industrial processing with temperatures lower than 80°C. It also provides a texturizing and stabilizing effect at lower temperature processing and protects the protein matrix during the sensitive transition to higher temperatures. This results in a smoother texture, creaminess and controlled syneresis.
“It’s extremely white compared to the regular grade LBG which is more yellow, or beige and has a low content of specks. LBG has black specks that come from the husk of the seeds,” explains Houalla.
Naltive LBG can be applied in plant-based products such as cream cheese, spreadable cheese, ice creams, yogurt and all equivalent dairy alternative recipes.
Locust bean gum is harvested from Mediterranean carob. The pods are separated from the seeds which are further manufactured to LBG. LBG price is currently very high, but rising demand is driving its production.
Nexira’s portfolio includes functional and nutritional ingredients, antioxidants and active botanicals. The company specializes in blending various hydrocolloids such as carrageenan, alginates and agar agar.
Last month, Nexira acquired Unipektin, a company specializing in natural hydrocolloids. Julie Imperato, marketing manager at Nexira, says the new product range from Unipektin “fits perfectly” into Nexira’s portfolio.
