How CITREM Improves Dairy and Beverage Products

Date:2025-06-25

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CITREM (E472c) is a versatile emulsifier that helps dairy and plant-based beverages stay smooth, creamy, and shelf-stable. From UHT milk to oat drinks, it solves challenges like separation, protein instability, and texture loss.In this blog, you can learn how CITREM is used in Dairy and Beverage products.

What Is CITREM and What Are Its Key Benefits?

CITREM, known as Citric Acid Esters of Mono- and Diglycerides, consists of mono- and diglycerides reacted with citric acid, is soluble in water, can be dispersed in hot water and fats, and is a multifunctional food-grade emulsifier that has been approved in many countries (E No. E472c). It offers excellent emulsification, dispersion, and stabilization properties—making it highly useful in complex liquid systems such as milk drinks, flavored beverages, and non-dairy alternatives.

CITREM in Dairy Products

1. Stabilizing Milk-Based Beverages

In products like UHT milk, flavored milk, or high-protein drinks, phase separation is a common issue—where fat or protein separates out from the water phase. CITREM helps create stable oil-in-water emulsions, preventing creaming, fat globule aggregation, or sedimentation.

CITREM E472c in Dairy Product

2. Enhancing Creaminess and Mouthfeel

CITREM can modify fat globule interfaces, which enhances the perceived creaminess of reduced-fat dairy drinks. It allows formulators to reduce fat content without sacrificing sensory quality.

3. Improving Protein Stability

In acidic milk beverages (e.g., fruit-flavored yogurt drinks), proteins are prone to aggregation or precipitation. CITREM helps stabilize protein in low-pH environments by acting at the oil–water and protein–water interfaces, ensuring a smooth, consistent product.

4. Whipped and Aerated Dairy Products

In whipped cream or mousse-like dairy products, CITREM enhances foam stability and controls air incorporation, improving volume and texture.

CITREM in Plant-Based and Dairy-Free Beverages

With the rise of plant-based nutrition, CITREM is also widely used in non-dairy alternatives such as soy milk, almond milk, oat milk, and coconut-based beverages.

Emulsification of Plant Fats: Many plant-based milks contain added vegetable oils for texture or nutrition. CITREM effectively disperses these oils and prevents creaming or separation during storage.

Improved Homogeneity: In beverages fortified with calcium, vitamins, or proteins, CITREM ensures even distribution of functional ingredients, which can otherwise sediment or float.

Shelf-Life Extension: CITREM enhances the physical stability of chilled or ambient plant-based drinks over time, even in complex formulations with multiple nutrients or flavorings.

CITREM E472c in Plant Based and Dairy Free Beverages

CITREM E472c in Plant Based and Dairy Free Beverages

CITREM's Role in Other Industries

Beyond its core roles in dairy and beverage stabilization, CITREM (E472c) offers a comprehensive range of functions across food, pharmaceutical, and personal care industries. In bakery, it improves dough strength, extends shelf life, and enhances texture. In confectionery, it prevents fat and sugar bloom and improves mouthfeel. It also serves as an effective emulsifier for oil-based nutrients in infant formula and supplements. In pharmaceuticals, CITREM enhances active ingredient absorption, while in cosmetics, it stabilizes oil-in-water emulsions for smooth, consistent textures. Its versatility, safety, and multifunctionality make CITREM a valuable asset in diverse formulations.

Conclusion

CITREM does more than hold ingredients together—it helps solve the everyday formulation issues that dairy and beverage makers face. Whether you're working with traditional milk, flavored drinks, or modern plant-based alternatives, CITREM can enhance texture, improve product stability, and support clean, efficient processing.

As a professional food ingredients supplier, all of our products are Kosher/Halal/ISO9001/ISO22000/RSPO cerificated and have no minimum order quantity, contact us for free samples now.

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