Tag: Vegan ingredient

While the delicious, sweet flesh of jackfruit is widely enjoyed, a significant amount of the fruit's highly nutritious seeds are often discarded as waste. Ground into a versatile powder, these underutilized seeds offer a powerhouse of nutrients that find a wide range of uses in modern cooking, dietary supplements, and traditional wellness practices.

Derived from red seaweed, stabiliser 407 is a polysaccharide commonly known as carrageenan. It has been utilized in food for centuries, particularly in places like Ireland where it was used as a traditional gelatin. This natural extract is now a widespread ingredient in modern processed foods, where it functions as a thickener, stabiliser, and emulsifier.

According to the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel, sodium lactate is safe for use in cosmetics under certain conditions. So, is sodium lactate good? This versatile ingredient, a sodium salt of lactic acid, serves many beneficial roles across different industries, from enhancing skincare formulas to preserving food and aiding medical treatments.

Derived from the reaction of stearic acid and a calcium source, calcium stearate is an organic salt with the chemical formula Ca(C18H35O2)2. The key to understanding its origin lies in its main precursor, stearic acid, which is found naturally in both plant and animal fats. The final product is synthesized in a controlled industrial environment, not harvested directly from nature.

Derived from red seaweed, carrageenan is a natural thickener and stabilizer that has been used in food production for centuries, with commercial use dating back to the 1940s. Today, its use has increased significantly alongside the rise of processed and ready-made foods. Its versatility and effectiveness in creating desirable textures and preventing separation are the primary reasons why carrageenan is in everything from ice cream to plant-based milks.

Carrageenan is a family of linear sulfated polysaccharides extracted exclusively from various species of red seaweed. While it has been a subject of controversy, its use as a food additive, thickener, and stabilizer dates back hundreds of years, with commercial applications emerging in the 20th century.

While nutritional yeast shares the same species, *Saccharomyces cerevisiae*, with baker's and brewer's yeast, it is a distinctly different product due to its processing and properties. Unlike active yeasts used for fermentation, nutritional yeast is deliberately deactivated with heat, rendering it non-leavening and imparting a unique flavor.

Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast that, when stored correctly, boasts an impressive shelf life of up to two years past its original production date. This makes it a long-lasting and reliable pantry staple for adding a savory, cheese-like flavor to a variety of dishes.

Pullulan is a natural, water-soluble polysaccharide that functions as an excellent film-former, binder, and thickener in various industries. Its unique properties and wide range of applications make it a versatile and increasingly popular ingredient.

Yeast extract is a natural ingredient used in a wide range of food products, with commercial production beginning in the early 20th century. It contains a complex mixture of proteins, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, which vary based on the specific type of yeast and manufacturing process used. This concentrated, savory ingredient is derived from fresh yeast cells, and provides a rich umami flavor profile to many dishes.