🥤 : Gellan Gum in Shelf-Stable Beverage Concentrates



🧊 The Stability Dilemma in Concentrated Drinks

Beverage concentrates — especially for health, sports, or plant-based drinks — require long shelf life, suspension of active ingredients, and consistency across temperatures. Many common thickeners or stabilizers fall short, separating or breaking down over time.

Gellan gum solves these issues — offering elegant suspension and heat stability, even in low-pH, high-solids environments.

🧪 Why Use Gellan Gum in Beverage Concentrates?

In shelf-stable concentrates, where space is limited but function must remain intact, gellan gum provides:

  • 🧃 Stable Suspension — holds particles (e.g., vitamins, pulp, proteins) in place
  • 🌡️ Heat and Pasteurization Tolerance — survives UHT and hot-fill
  • 🧪 Low Viscosity at Low Dose — doesn’t thicken unnecessarily
  • 🧯 Prevents Sedimentation — keeps your product uniform till the last drop

🔬 Application Strategy: Gellan Gum in Liquid Bases

For beverage syrups and concentrates, low acyl gellan is typically used to create a fluid gel network — a delicate structure that traps particles but flows when shaken or poured.

How to apply:

  • Dosage: 0.015% – 0.05%
  • Hydration: Heat to 85–90°C, then cool under controlled conditions
  • For best results: Combine with calcium ions for controlled setting

Ideal for:

  • 🌿 Plant-based milk concentrates (e.g. oat, almond)
  • 🍊 Fruit juice syrups
  • 💧 Vitamin-enhanced water drops
  • ☕ Functional cold brew coffee bases

🧃 Product Types That Use This Today

You'll already find gellan gum in:

  • Sports nutrition shots
  • Liquid hydration boosters
  • Concentrated probiotic drink bases
  • No-refrigeration smoothie syrups

These products benefit from smooth pourability, crystal-clear appearance, and even dispersion — all thanks to gellan gum.

💡 Bonus Tip: Clean Label Friendly

Gellan gum's usage level is so low, it barely affects the mouthfeel — making it ideal for clean-label beverage claims. It's also vegan, gluten-free, and non-GMO — helping your brand align with health-conscious consumers.

🧩 Final Thoughts

If you're developing the next standout drink in a space-saving format, using gellan gum in shelf-stable beverage concentrates offers performance, process tolerance, and consumer-friendly labeling — all in one neat package.

Even at micro-level dosages, its impact on your formula's suspension, stability, and shelf appeal is hard to beat.