Cheese is at home the world over, notes Hydrosol, and almost every country has its own specialities, with cheese indispensable for many recipes. But cheese is a challenge to make, the company claims, economically and in terms of production techniques: the long curing times of hard and sliced cheeses are a cost factor, and in hot regions volumes are limited by the low availability of fresh milk. With Hydrosol’s new stabilising and texturing systems, dairies, deli food companies and cheese manufacturers can, the company says make alternatives to cheese simply and cost-effectively.

According to a study by WWF Germany, notes Hydrosol, worldwide 30 to 40 percent of food is lost along the value addition chain, including during industrial production. For example, cutting causes losses in cheese production. With Hydrosol’s new functional systems, these cuttings can be turned into trendy new cheese preparations, the company says. The texture can be adjusted precisely for the application, whether bread spread, dip, creamy sauce, snack filling or ready meal. Production is uncomplicated and requires only a double-walled process cooker and a filling line. According to Hydrosol, this lets manufacturers address current food trends, reduce their costs, while at the same time contributing to sustainable food production by making use of secondary materials.

Another plus point, the company says, is that with the ingredient combinations in the Stabisol PC series it is possible to skip the curing process otherwise needed for hard and sliced cheeses. Dairies can use these functional systems to make individual cheese preparations from curd and quark. The simplified production process also contributes to higher profitability.

In countries with low production of fresh milk, Hydrosol claims that these stabilizing and texturing systems make it possible to bring attractive products to market without requiring fresh milk or fresh cheese. They are said to be typically more economical than cheese, since they can be made with vegetable fat to some extent - yet they deliver convincing product quality. On pizza, the recombined alternative product is appropriately stringy and enables individual flavour and colour adjustment. For spreadable products, seleced Hydrosol systems let manufacturers set the desired texture from liquid to gelling. Snacks with alternative fillings are said to be highly stable in frying and baking. They form readily and are freeze-thaw stable.