What are hydrocolloids and are they dangerous

Think of the Italian dessert panna cotta or holiday cholent, think of béchamel sauce or ketchup. The consistency of these dishes and foods would never be the same without thickeners. Some of them only slightly change the viscosity, others turn liquids into gels. In the classification of food additives they belong to the code E4xx – stabilizers and thickeners, in science they are called hydrocolloids.

At their core, hydrocolloids are long chains of molecules (polysaccharides or proteins) that create gels by locking the water base in a crystalline three-dimensional lattice. Sounds scary, but most of them are familiar to you.

Starch

It’s extracted from plant cells, where it’s found in granules, forming concentric circles that look like onion rings. Rice starch, corn starch, potato starch – different types of starch differ in granule size. With the help of it, it is easy to thicken a soup or sauce. It is enough to dilute it in cold water, and then heat it. Let it sound counterintuitive, but it is heat – the main catalyst that makes the starch kleisterizatsya, that is, absorb water. Once swollen, the granules prevent water molecules from moving freely. In this way, the liquid becomes more viscous.

Gelatin

This is a protein substance derived from collagen, which is found in large quantities in connective tissues. This is why your grandmother used to make cholodets from pig’s hooves, for example. Fish glue (isinglass in English) or carluke is also popular. It was produced back in the Russian Empire from fish bladders of valuable sturgeon breeds – beluga, sturgeon, and Sevryuga. The resulting transparent plates of pure collagen were sent to the West, where it was gladly used in the production of all kinds of desserts.

Fillings, jellies, cakes, candies, yogurt and many other products are turned into a gel with the help of gelatin. It works simply. When dissolved in hot water, the triple spirals of gelatin dissolve and float quietly until cooled. As soon as the temperature drops, the protein chains come back together to form a rather stiff gel structure. Or rather, your favorite “jiggle,” as my grandmother used to call kolodets. Or was it bisque?

Pectin

A polysaccharide that is industrially extracted from citrus fruits, apple pomace, sunflower baskets, and even sea squash. In nature, it is found in all fruits. Somewhere it is more abundant, such as in citrus peels, which are often added to pies and jams. In large quantities, it is better to use pectin in the form of powder. In the production of sweets, it is often mixed with sugar to make confitures, jams, marmalade. Pectins come in high-esterified and low-esterified (or simply HM and LM). It’s not so important what this means, the main thing is that the former work better when sugar and acid are high, and the latter work the other way around.

Carrageenan

A polysaccharide derived from red seaweed. As an additive, an extract of “Irish moss” (Chondrus crispus) has been used in the region of the same name since the 15th century, although today it is grown all over the world. It is a natural thickener and gelatin substitute, although it is often found in frozen pizza and chocolate milk. You can buy carrageenan at the store or simply fish out the seaweed, boil it with a pinch of salt and a drop of alcohol, puree it in a blender, and use it in ice cream making.

Agar-agar

A polysaccharide also derived from algae. Its molecules are very long. This makes agar-agar gels dense and gelatinous. An excellent substitute for gelatin. German microbiologist Walter Hesse was the first to use agar-agar to grow bacteria, and Japanese innkeeper Mino was the first to pour seaweed soup outside and notice the next day how it solidified. Agar-agar, for example, is used to make colored balls for iced teas and bird’s milk.

Xanthan gum

One of the best discoveries since yeast. It is widely used as a stabilizer and thickener. It dissolves perfectly in cold and hot water. By nature, it is another polysaccharide produced by fermentation with the help of the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris. It is responsible for the decomposition of cabbage, broccoli, etc., and also for wilting of leaves. And it’s called black rot. Xanthan gum, on the other hand, is harmless. You can find it in dozens of products, from salad dressing to gluten-free baked goods, where it’s used to give dough its viscosity.

Guar gum and carob gum

Polysaccharides that are derived from plants of the same name: guar, a pea tree from India and Pakistan, and carob seeds. The pods of the latter are dried, grinded, and produced to make cacao, which is used instead of cocoa. Both additives stabilize products well during freezing and defrosting cycles and slow down the formation of ice crystals. It makes sense that they are often found in ice cream, sauces, yogurts, and desserts.