In this issue of the TIC Times newsletter:

• Cover Story: New Cost Savings Options Available with TicaPAN Quick Crunch
• Origins of TicaPAN Gum Arabic Replacers
• Texture & Stability Solutions for Sauces
• Getting to Know Karen Constanza & Victoria Gray
• New Video: Granola Clusters--Does This Have Gum in It?

TIC Gums continues the popular “Does This Have Gum in It?”series with the seventh episode: "Granola Clusters: Does This Have Gum In It?" In this newest episode, Gum Guru^® Maureen Akins and TIC Gums marketing manager Harold Nicoll discuss Add-Here™ 3200 and its binding properties in low sugar granola clusters. 

Started in 2012, each “Does This Have Gum In It?” episode demonstrates how even a small adjustment to the viscosity and/or texture of foods or beverages can mean the difference between a great sensory experience and a negative one. Previous episodes include texture and stability solutions for reducing sugar in beverage syrups and stabilizing ice cream. Part of the larger “Guru TV” website, all episodes can be viewed on the “Does This Have Gum In It?” page at www.ticgums.com/gurutv. 

From the TIC Times newsletter, Spring 2013

Meet Karen Constanza and Victoria Gray,who joined the TIC Gums’ Research and Development team in April and November of 2012, respectively. Now roommates and colleagues, Karen and Victoria first met through a mutual friend while completing their Master of Science Degree in the Food Science Program at North Carolina State University (N.C. State). Although Karen’s lab focused on peanuts and Victoria’s on fermentation, they still found time to develop a friendship that carried them all the way to Maryland.

How did you both find out about TIC Gums?

KC: “I interned at Clorox in 2011. Kimio Tsuchiya (TIC Gums’ Strategic Account Manager) came and did a presentation for us. That was my main exposure and also through a product development course at N.C. State.”

VG: “The first time I was introduced to TIC Gums was meeting the Gum Guru^® at IFT Food Expo 2011 in New Orleans. We were both presenting our research.”

KC: “We were just walking around on the show floor and our friend said ‘Take a picture with the Gum Guru!’ So the picture was the two of us (Karen & Victoria) and then I got hired… and then Victoria got hired.”

As ingredient costs continue to fluctuate, the Texture Innovation Center™ team takes a closer look at the role of hydrocolloid systems for texture and stability in sauces. Two systems, Ticaloid^® Ultrasmooth and Ticaloid Saucier, are both part of the catalog of stabilizers offered by TIC Gums to replicate chef-style pan sauce textures in large scale applications.

To demonstrate the different texture possibilities when using hydrocolloids, the Texture Innovation Center team developed two versions of a cheese sauce that can be used with pasta dishes. Premiered at the Research Chefs Association Annual Conference and Culinology Expo in Charlotte, North Carolina, chefs from around the country tasted the two texturally different cheese sauces, featuring Ticaloid Ultrasmooth and Ticaloid Saucier.

Describing Cheese Sauce Texture

When creating these cheese sauces, TIC Gums utilized the Texture Lexicon™ to articulate the desired textures and choose the appropriate hydrocolloid blends. The cheese texture profile chart was then created to detail the different sensory experiences when using Ticaloid Ultrasmooth and Ticaloid Saucier.

Lower Ingredient Costs

The use of Ticaloid Ultrasmooth and Ticaloid Saucier in the cheese sauce formulations allows for lower ingredient costs without sacrificing taste. As gums are introduced into the formula, water is also introduced, decreasing the quantity of the more expensive ingredients. Hydrocolloids not only provide stability and texture, but can also help the bottom line.

Our downloadable texture pack shows you how to use the Texture Revolution^® methodology to describe cheese sauces and contains two prototype recipes that demonstrate the texture attributes stabilizers contribute to cheese sauces.

Read more from the TIC Times newsletter, Spring 2013

by Greg Andon, President

As we discuss the technical details of TicaPAN^® Quick Crunch in this newsletter, I want to share with you how this innovative technology was originally created.

As a major global manufacturer of Gum Acacia, also known as Gum Arabic, we are very aware of the supply chain risk associated with raw material sourcing countries in sub-Saharan Africa. As part of a disaster planning exercise, we attempted to answer the question of what we would do for our customers if the main harvesting countries of Chad and Sudan became so unstable that raw material exports halted. For many food applications that use Gum Acacia, alternative technologies already existed. However, we found a major gap in the film forming functionality of Gum Acacia.

Gum Arabic's Unique Film Forming Properties

You see, nothing forms a film quite like Gum Acacia. Most materials either do not form a film at all, or they form a very strong film at the right solids level. Think of a sheet of paper that can be handled and shaped before breaking. Gum Acacia is somewhere in between, where it does form a film but a very brittle one that cracks upon drying. It’s this nature that provides a very unique texture to products such as chewing gum coatings. The outer film strength that provides the desirable first bite crunch is a result of this unique brittle film.