FDBusiness.com

Hamburg, September 2013 – Sternchemie has been an international supplier of lecithins for over 30 years. At FIE 2013 in Frankfurt (Stand 8H30) the company will present innovations from its extensive product portfolio. Besides a wide range of lecithin products these include MCT oils produced at the company’s own facilities in Malaysia. Further specialities are red palm oil – much in demand as a natural food colourant – and coconut milk powder for hot and cold meals, bakery products and sweets.

Sunflower lecithin as an alternative to IP soy

In the field of lecithin, Sternchemie is increasingly concentrating on sunflowers as a raw material. Because of the uncertain supply of IP soy, more and more manufacturers are switching to sunflower lecithin, since there is currently no genetically modified sunflower seed on the market. Sternchemie has demonstrated in numerous trials that it has nearly the same properties as IP soy and can replace it 1:1 in many applications. That is true of its use in chocolate processing and in bakery products, for example. Sternchemie offers the lecithins in liquid form, deoiled, or as a powdered compound of active substances. In order to meet the increasing demand for sunflower lecithin, a highly specialized new processing plant was recently established in Poland. A new, large-scale plant for manufacturing 4,000 tonnes p.a. of deoiled, powdered lecithin of different origins was recently commissioned in Singapore. This deoiled lecithin has already met with a very positive response in the test market. 

In SternInstant S, Sternchemie offers a sprayable sunflower lecithin for the production of instantized foods such as dried milk and protein powder. Thanks to the lecithin, the powder containing fat or protein disperses evenly in the liquid and dissolves readily even in cold liquids. SternInstant enhances the application properties of instantized protein products such as drinks for athletes and dietetic shakes, and also coffee whiteners and dry beverage bases containing cocoa. It is also highly suitable for instantizing baby foods.

Red palm oil: label-friendly, rich in vitamins, simple to use

As a label-friendly alternative to conventional colourants, Sternchemie offers red palm oil from its SternRed series. The oil is produced from the flesh of the palm fruit by physical refining according to a patented process. The result is a native palm oil, free from chemical additives, which has an intensive red colour because of its high carotenoid content. The naturally refined oil, rich in vitamins, is colour- and heat stable, tasteless, and can be used easily as a replacement for synthetic colourants and beta-carotene. It also offers financial advantages over other colouring additives such as carrot extract. In deep-frying fats, it gives potato crisps and French fries a golden yellow colour. Used as an ingredient of cakes and biscuits, desserts, ready meals or fresh pasta, and also in margarine, mayonnaise and dressings, the natural colourant helps to create an attractive  appearance. In the list of ingredients, red palm oil must only be stated as “vegetable oil”. With its RSPO certification, SternRed also meets the consumer’s demands in respect of sustainability. 

Coconut milk powder: a natural product with a multitude of applications 

In SternCream, Sternchemie offers a spray-dried coconut milk powder with a diversity of applications and a number of advantages in industrial production and commercial kitchens. It is suitable for both wet and dry products, simple to use, and has a long shelf-life. The unusually high proportion of coconut milk gives it a pleasant and characteristically mild coconut flavour. Moreover, as a natural product it is more label-friendly than coconut flavourings or extracts. It contains no preservatives, colourants or artificial flavourings. The naturally high fat content creates a very creamy mouth feel, especially valuable in ice cream, chocolates or wafer fillings. The natural coconut flavour has proved successful in sensory tests, too. In hot and cold dishes such as soups, sauces and dips, SternCream has a positive effect on the consistency.

A head start through applications research

In order to ensure optimum production characteristics and product attributes, Sternchemie develops customized solutions in response to special requirements at the Technology Centre of the Stern-Wywiol Gruppe, recently enlarged to an area of 3,000 m². There, the team of applications technologists has access to a lecithin and lipid laboratory, technical trials departments for bakery products, chocolate, dairy products, deli foods and meat, and laboratories for enzymes, micronutrients and flavourings.