Grittiness in Powdered Mixes

Meal replacement powdered mixes are powerful shake mixes which help in weight loss, cutting down the calories and supplementing a healthy and nutritious diet.

However, many meal replacement shakes contain nutraceuticals, herbal extracts, phytonutrients, protein powders, fibers and other ingredients (mixture of nuts, seeds and grains) which are the reasons for grittiness or graininess.

Gritty shakes are rough in texture and do not give creamy mouthfeel.

Ways to improve the mouthfeel:

1. Addition of gums (in the formulation)

Natural gums like carragenean gum, gellan gum and xanthan gum when added to formulation provide creamy mouthfeel and texture. These ingredients act as suspending agents, emulsifiers and thickening agents and ensure the creamy texture.

2. Blending

Blending the powdered mix with liquid ensures breaking of larger powdered mix ingredients and uniform mixing of solid and liquid components.

3. Adding to viscous liquids

Adding the powdered mix to milk, non-dairy milks (soy or almond or rice), yogurt, nut-butters, fruit juices, purees or smoothies. Fat-free milk or low-fat milk can make the shake watery and grainy. In this case, blending with fruit pieces, nut butter or yogurt can improve the texture and mouthfeel.

Texture and mouthfeel play a crucial role in the consumer perception towards meal replacement shakes.

Do you know any other methods to reduce grittiness from powdered mixes?