IDM | Ingredients
Powders with impeccable
handling properties
Calcium carbonate is the ideal anticaking agent – being natural and
guaranteed free from nanoparticles, it meets current market demands
In the food and beverage industry, many products — from raw materials
to semi-finished or final products — come in powdered form. One
challenge that is related to almost all powdery products is their hygroscopic
effect. To prevent powder particles binding water and lumping
together, the use of anticaking agents is necessary. Calcium carbonate
is the natural and smart solution for this application; combining excellent
performance with several advantages.
Omya is a leading supplier of natural calcium carbonate, which fulfills
many functions in the food and beverage industry: it can act as a fortification
agent, extrusion aid, white pigment for coatings and as an
anticaking agent. The latter is amongst the most important application
fields in the food segment and is, especially in Europe, growing. With
consumers increasingly asking for natural and clean label ingredients,
food producers are keen to reformulate with natural but multifunctional
alternatives. Calcium carbonate delivers on both counts.
How it works
Caking is strongly influenced by external factors such as temperature,
humidity and pressure. The use of anticaking agents, bundled under the
brands Omya Calcipur and Omyafood, presents a practical approach
to prevent the lumping of powder particles during transportation and
storage. Their raw materials are processed using patented technology
to produce highly functional calcium carbonate with defined properties.
After that treatment, they have a high porosity and an enlarged surface
area that provides unique characteristics, such us outstanding flow
properties and a low dust content. As such, machines need less cleaning,
efficiencies can be improved and downtimes are reduced.
By adding the anticaking agent to the powder, it embraces the particles
and reduces their adhesive forces, thereby preventing lumping.
Thanks to both its hydrophilic and lipophilic properties, calcium
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carbonate from Omya absorbs all kinds of moisture and oil, so the
powder maintains its stability and can be processed easily.
Applications
The anticaking offering from Omya is suitable for all powdery food products,
including table salt and salt replacements, convenience goods such
as packet soup, cocoa products, milk and milk protein powders, as well as
infant formula. Especially for the latter, calcium carbonate scores because
of its natural profile. Guaranteed to be free from nanoparticles and being
hypoallergenic, it meets tight safety criteria. Furthermore, thanks to
carefully selected mineral deposits, the company complies with very strict
regulations and ensures that any heavy metal contaminants are kept to an
absolute minimum — a vital aspect for producers of infant foods. As well
as powdery products, the company’s anticaking agent can also be used to
prevent grated cheese lumping and stop cheese slices sticking together.
Fortification and free flow:
a smart combination
Calcium claims offer promising positioning opportunities in the bone
health sector. Particularly with powdered formulations for sports nutrition
or infant formula applications, manufacturers can make use of the double
functionality of calcium carbonate by linking the anticaking effect with
calcium enrichment. Thanks to its high elemental calcium content, Omya
Calcipur is one of the most effective solutions in the market. Only low
dosages are required to achieve significant fortification results without
negatively impacting the end product’s sensory profile.
Tiny particles, big concerns
Similar to increasing concerns about additives and GMOs in recent years,
nanoparticles have recently been put under the spotlight and have
(photo: digifoodstock.com)