In Refrigerated and Shelf Stable Products
Use Citri-Fi and added water to improve product quality, yield and profit margins by binding and stabilizing added water.
In Cooked and Baked Products
Use Citri-Fi and added water to improve yield and profit margins by binding and holding added water through the cooking or baking process.
In Frozen Food Products
Use Citri-Fi and added water to improve product quality, yield and profit margins by increasing the moisture content while decreasing ice crystal formation during frozen storage and syneresis upon thawing.
Improve Quality
Citri-Fi tightly binds and holds added moisture through cooking, baking and storage to maintain more desirable moisture characteristics over time to extend shelf life.
Improve Yield and Profit Margins
Adding extra water and Citri-Fi to your formula will improve baked and cooked weight yields and profit margins. Adding Citri-Fi and extra water is a great way to increase profits while improving or maintaining food quality.
Improve Nutrition
Adding extra water and Citri-Fi reduces fat levels and calories per serving.
Easy to Use
Simply disperse Citri-Fi in formula oil or premix with dry ingredients then follow your standard mixing procedures. No high shear mixing is required. Do not pre-hydrate Citri-Fi with water.
Incorporating Citri-Fi Into Your Formula For Binding and Stabilizing Added Water
When using Citri-Fi and added water to improve yields, the objective is to find the appropriate Citri-Fi product, use level, and amount of added water that gives the optimum combination of syneresis control, improved yield and sensory qualities (within product standards of identity regulations).
1) Look for an application similar to yours in Table 2 on the following page. You will find a recommended Citri-Fi product, a suggested percent range of Citri-Fi, and the suggested range of parts extra water per part of Citri-Fi to add to the formula.
2) To calculate the percent of Citri-Fi to add to your formula, use the midpoint of the suggested percentage rate of Citri-Fi. For example, if the suggested range is 0.50% - 1.00%, use 0.75% Citri-Fi in the overall formula as a starting point.
3) To determine how much water to add, use the midpoint of the recommended parts of extra water found in Table 2. For example, if the range is 4-7, then use 5.5 parts extra water per part Citri-Fi calculated in step 2. It is recommended that you pre-test this level of added water and Citri-Fi in your formula to assure that the adjusted products texture and consistency is comparable to the original formula. If it is too thick or stiff, increase the parts of water. If it is too thin or sticky, decrease the parts of extra water.
4) How to Incorporate Citri-Fi:
a) Never pre-hydrate Citri-Fi with water. Instead, we recommend that Citri-Fi be dispersed into 2 to 4 times its weight in formula oil (when possible). In the absence of sufficient formula oil, we recommend that Citri-Fi be pre-mixed with the other formula dry ingredients (largest volume possible) before the introduction of liquid ingredients. Additional water should be incorporated along with other formula water. The far right column on Table 1 recommends which incorporation method to use for each application. For many applications, either method of incorporation is acceptable. After you have incorporated Citri-Fi, follow your standard mixing procedure.
5) Prepare test samples based on the following guidelines:
a) Control: Use your original formula
b) Test 1: Original formula plus the percent of Citri-Fi product and extra water as calculated in steps 2 & 3 above.
c) Test 2: In this test, vary either the percent of Citri-Fi or the amount of water, but not both. If you decide to use the same percent of Citri-Fi as used in Test 1, then use a "water to Citri-Fi ratio" either 1 part more or 1 part less. If you decided to use the same amount of water as in Test 1, then use 0.10% more and 0.10% less of Citri-Fi. Examples of this method are shown in the following table:
| Test 1 | Test 2 Change Water | Test 2 Change Citri-Fi | |||
| % Citri-Fi | 0.50 | 0.50 |
0.50 |
0.40 |
0.60 |
| Water to Citri-Fi Ratio | 5.50 : 1 | 4.50 : 1 |
6.50 : 1 |
6.88 : 1 |
4.58 : 1 |
| % Additional Water | 2.75 | 2.25 |
3.25 |
2.75 |
2.75 |
d) The “water to Citri-Fi ratio” is calculated by dividing the % of additional water by % of Citri-Fi.
c) Making these tests will give you a second perspective and comparison as to when to use more or less Citri-Fi or water to get the same consistency as the control.
6) Compare and evaluate the test results using the following guidelines to make adjustments:
a) For each test, if taste and texture are acceptable, but there is still free water, gradually increase the amount of Citri-Fi until the free water is bound or until the sensory characteristics become unacceptable, then gradually reduce the amount of Citri-Fi until taste is acceptable
b) If the taste is acceptable but the texture is either too moist or too dry, gradually adjust the amount of extra water or the percentage of Citri-Fi until the texture is acceptable
c) If the texture is gritty or if visual particles are detectable, choose a finer grind size until these characteristics are acceptable
d) If the taste is unacceptable, gradually reduce the amount of Citri-Fi and water keeping the same Citri-Fi to water ratio or mask the flavor profile until it is acceptable
