Propylene glycol alginate (PGA) is an excellent food additive manufactured from processing of alginic acid which is extracted from natural seaweed.
PGA is white to light-yellow powder & used as a thickener, stabilizer & emulsifier for beverage products.
PGA is amphiphilic which makes it a good emulsifier, imparts foam stability & stabilizing effect of oily colloidal products. Due to its non-ionic nature, it does not precipitate or solidify in presence of metal ions.
Propylene Glycol Alginate - LABHFOAM
Properties
PGA is a white to slightly yellowish-white fibrous powder or coarse powder, almost odorless & tasteless.
It is soluble in water & dilute organic acid solutions, but insoluble in methanol, ethanol, benzene & other organic solvents.
1% aqueous solution of PGA has pH 3-4.
It absorbs moisture rapidly & turns brown when heated to 55°C, carbonization occurs at 220°C & ashes at 400°C.
Relative density of PGA is 1.46.
PGA neither gels nor precipitates in the acidic solution of pH 3-4.
PGA has the ability to resist salting out & is stable to other metal ions except copper, chromium, iron (trivalent), lead, barium & other ions which make it unstable.
Applications
As a thickening, stabilizing & emulsifier: It is used in yogurt, ice creams etc. making the surface smooth, removes unevenness & gives mellow taste.
As a stabilizer & emulsifier: It is used in dairy products such as cheese & the product has good puffing & emulsification effects giving a comfortable taste.
Used as a foam stabilizer for beer: The product foam is white & fine & it lasts for a long time.
As acid resistance, emulsifying & dispersing agent: It is used in various fruit juice drinks. The product shows no precipitation, no stratification & makes the system stable to oily components.
As an improver: It is used in flour, noodles & convenience foods.
Additionally, it is used in ketchups, meat sauces, soy sauces, emulsified essences, syrups, sugar coatings, etc.
Special use of LABHFOAM in enhancing & stabilizing BEER FOAM
Cold brewing can use LABHFOAM as an additive in beer to enhance electrostatic interactions with polypeptides present. This increases the viscosity of the beer & the liquid in the foam will take a longer time to drain back into the glass. LABHFOAM is added after filtration of the beer.
LABHFOAM shows foam stabilizing effect & gives beer a more stable, longer-lived, creamier foam.
Benefits
LABHFOAM improves the compactness of the beer head and the volume of the head.
The creamier foam formed from beer stabilized with LABHFOAM is stable, long-lived and is very resistant to breakdown in the presence of food fats, soap or cosmetics.
Beer treated with LABHFOAM forms an attractive, white and long-lasting lace on the glass as the beer is consumed.
LABHFOAM helps to overcome fluctuations in wort composition due to seasonal variations in raw materials which adversely affect head retention.
LABHFOAM maintains beer quality without affecting brilliance, palatability or flavour of beer.
LABHFOAM for Beer
Applications
LABHFOAM is added to beer as dilute water solution during the final steps of the process. It is more often accomplished by the means of a metering pump proportioning alginate solution into the beer line before final filtration or more seldom after this final filtration.
Preparation
Dissolve LABHFOAM slowly at the rate of 20g to maximum 50g in a Liter of hot (50°C) water (distilled or softened) with rapid agitation. The use of a high-speed mixer (1500 rpm) is gives best results. The solution should be agitated for thirty minutes to one hour prior to use.
Maximum usage of PGA in various food products stipulated by "Hygienic Standard for the Use of Food Additives” (GB2760-2011) is as follows
