Food Additives

Gelling Agents, Thickeners and Stabilisers

The functions of these substances is fairly self explanatory:

Gelling agents gel foods, i.e. they give shape and structure
Thickeners or thickening agents make foods thicker
Stabilisers help to maintain the physical and textural properties of foodstuffs through their production, transport, storage and cooking

Roll the mouse over the image to see how a stabiliser can help when drinks are stored.

Drinks, like this chocomilk, contain cocoa powder that can form a sediment when the drink is on the supermarket shelf. Stabilisers help to prevent this.

Applications

Gelling agents, thickeners and stabilisers are used in many foods. Move the mouse over the picture for more information.

photo of food

Thickeners

Many reduced sugar products, such as low sugar jam, require gelling agents or thickeners to substitute the effects of the sugar in the traditional product
Reduced fat or low fat versions of traditional products are now being produced. When a quantity of fat or oil is removed from a product, it is often replaced by adding water and either a gel, thickener or stabiliser to restore the texture
Thick milk shakes require the addition of a thickener

Gelling agents

Jams and marmalade often use naturally-occuring pectin as a stabiliser.
Fruit preparations used in dairy desserts and water based jellies would remain liquid without the assistance of gelling agents.
Without a gelling agent, the fillings of fruit pies would boil out during cooking or soak through the crust while the pie is stored before being eaten.
Desserts and confectionery jellies - to enable them to set.
Vegetarian foods are becoming more popular. The protein used in vegetarian burgers and sausages is often based on soya protein. Such products would disintegrate during cooking without the use of special gelling agents which help to keep them together at high temperatures.

Stabilisers

Ice cream and ice lollies. Stabilisers prevent the appearance of large, grainy ice crystals or lumps that would make the ice cream feel gritty. They help to maintain a firm texture, smooth taste and good storage qualities.
Many reduced fat or low fat products require stabilisers in their manufacture.
In sauces and dressings, stabilisers avoid the separation of the oil and aqueous components.
Long-life yogurts would not be possible without a stabiliser to protect the milk protein.

Stabilisers are often confused with preservatives. Stabilisers maintain the physical characteristics of a product whereas preservatives help to prevent food spoilage by microbes.

Stabilisers improve the stability of a mixture, such as an emulsion, by locking together large molecules to make it thicker. This helps to prevent the dispersed droplets coming together and coalescing.