Ready for safe anti-caking? Revitalise your formula with natural Omyafood® 120

Increasing demand for new and innovative ingredients is driving food producers to seek out natural, yet high-performance, alternatives. Omyafood® 120 offers both while also enabling the safe and easy processing of powdered products.

Powdered products span the entire spectrum of the food and beverage industry - from raw materials to end products. The market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.5% until 2026. However, processing, quality and durability are challenging due to the flow properties of powder applications. That’s why Omya, global producer of mineral ingredients, has developed a highly efficient anti-caking agent for safe and easy powder handling, and processing.

Innovative all-round solution

Omyafood® 120 is based on functionalized calcium carbonate (FCC) which means that particles have undergone a patented recrystallization process to create a new mineral composition. The unique structure of the advanced non-nano mineral offers high porosity, strong moisture-binding capacity and reduced mechanical interlocking. As such, it provides a safe and efficient alternative to traditional flow aids. Moreover, the ingredient supports better processability of food powders during manufacturing, superior storage and enhanced preservation of the product quality throughout the whole supply chain. All of this ensures optimal product performance. Furthermore, as Omyafood® 120 is a low dusting material it contributes to a safer production environment.

High efficiency

Powders are often highly cohesive and difficult to handle when discharged from silos, drums or bags, and also during conveying, feeding, mixing and dosing. Caking describes the agglomeration of powders that form during transportation or storage due to changes in temperature or moisture. During processing, caked powders become more challenging, resulting in a loss of product quality and higher energy demand. However, porous Omyafood® 120 particles can counteract this thanks to their strong absorption and moisture-binding capabilities. The addition of the ingredient to powder reduces their adhesive forces, thereby preventing lumps. The low-dusting mineral particles not only enhance flow but also allow for better storage and preservation of product quality throughout the supply chain, resulting in better product performance. The size and grade of Omyafood® 120 perfectly supports food powders and intermediates such as milk powder, milk protein for protein drinks, spice blends for seasoning, energy drinks, coffee creamers, salt, starch, sports powders and vitamin premixes. Consisting mainly of brilliant white minerals, the ingredient also acts as a colour-enhancing white pigment as well as a natural calcium source to optimise nutritional values. Omyafood® 120 is vegan, halal and kosher.

Effective and future-proof

Omya places a strong emphasis on natural and sustainable innovations that go above and beyond the benchmark when it comes to efficiency. In a test series using a Powder Rheometer, Omyafood® 120 was compared with market references and proved to be as good as, if not better than, conventional flow aids. Factors assessed were caking strength, measured by the amount of energy required to de-cake powders or the crust depth, as well as followability, measured by basic flow energy, specific energy and compressibility. Materials tested were milk powder, a spice blend and pea starch.

Stefan Lander, Vice President Consumer Goods, Group Sales & Marketing at Omya, explains: “Market demand for food powders in convenience foods, drinks, sports nutrition and nutraceuticals is continually rising. So, too, is the demand for safe, natural and clean label ingredients. The requirement to declare nano particles in a product is forcing manufacturers to find effective and easy to process natural alternatives. Omyafood® 120 ticks all of these boxes.”

Holistic, innovative solutions

Omya has a strong commitment to R&D, which includes a continued focus on techniques to advance the company-owned minerals. In addition to its specialities, Omya also has a distribution business with a wide range of natural and sustainable ingredients. As a result, holistic solutions and innovative product concepts are brought to life by combining employee experience, deep application-related insight and high-quality raw materials. The Omya experts will be available to discuss specific customer requirements at FiE/HiE 2022, booth 7.2M50.