Wood extract opportunity

摘要

Manufacturers could soon be using wood-derived ingredients to improve food texture and reduce energy content, a Finnish research centre has claimed. Studies conducted by the VTT Technical Research Centre in Espoo have shown that xylan, fibrillated cellulose and lignin offer advantages over traditionally-used ingredients. VTT believes these wood-derived ingredients can benefit the manufacture of yogurt, baked goods and meat products. Xylan, a hemicellulose extracted from birch pulp, can be used as texture enhancer in yogurt, the centre claims. Compared with conventional manufacturing techniques, VTT's studies show that xylan improves the smoothness of yogurt. The texture is also more stable, as no separation of water from the yogurt gel was observed in the tests.