Gellan Gum in Plant-Based Milk

Plant-based milk can look simple, but keeping it stable during storage can be challenging.

Ingredients such as plant proteins, minerals, oils and other particles can gradually separate or settle.

Gellan gum can help improve the stability of these products by creating a weak internal structure that keeps dispersed ingredients more evenly distributed.

Why Is Stabilization Important?

A plant-based milk should normally remain reasonably uniform from the first serving to the last.

Without sufficient stabilization, several problems can occur:

• Sedimentation

• Creaming

• Separation

• Uneven texture

• Visible particles

• Changes during storage

The problem becomes more noticeable when the product contains a significant amount of plant material or added minerals.

What Does Gellan Gum Do?

Gellan gum can form a very weak three-dimensional network throughout the liquid.

This network can help keep dispersed particles and other ingredients from moving too quickly.

The important point is that the objective is usually not to create a gel.

A well-designed plant-based milk should still behave like a liquid.

The gellan gum is used to provide enough structure for stability while maintaining the desired drinking experience.

High Acyl Gellan Gum

High acyl gellan gum is often considered when a softer and more elastic structure is desired.

Compared with low acyl gellan gum, high acyl gellan gum generally produces a less brittle structure.

This can be useful in plant-based beverages where the final product needs to remain smooth and drinkable rather than forming a firm gel.

However, the correct gellan gum type still depends on the complete formulation.

How Much Gellan Gum Is Needed?

There is no universal dosage for plant-based milk.

A formulation may start with a relatively low concentration and then be adjusted based on the actual stability and texture.

For example, development trials might compare:

0.01%

0.02%

0.03%

0.05%

The best concentration is not necessarily the highest one.

The objective is normally to find the lowest concentration that provides the required stability without creating an unwanted texture.

Plant Proteins Can Affect Performance

Plant-based milk may contain proteins from sources such as:

• Soy

• Pea

• Oat

• Almond

• Coconut

• Other plant sources

These ingredients can behave differently in the presence of gellan gum.

Proteins can interact with minerals, pH and other stabilizers, so the same gellan gum concentration may perform differently in different plant-based beverages.

This is one reason why a formula developed for soy milk may not work directly for oat or pea-based milk.

Calcium and Minerals Matter

Many plant-based milks contain added calcium or other minerals.

These minerals can affect the behavior of gellan gum.

Calcium ions, in particular, can influence the structure formed by gellan gum.

The mineral content should therefore be considered when developing a plant-based beverage.

If the formulation already contains a significant amount of calcium, adding more may not necessarily improve stability.

It may instead change the texture or produce excessive structure.

pH Matters Too

The pH of plant-based milk can affect the overall behavior of the system.

Different plant proteins also have different behavior at different pH levels.

As a result, pH should be considered together with gellan gum concentration and mineral content.

It is better to evaluate the gellan gum in the actual beverage rather than in plain water.

Hydration and Processing

Correct hydration is essential.

Gellan gum should be properly dispersed before it is expected to provide stabilization.

In many production processes, the gellan gum is dispersed and then heated to ensure proper hydration.

The formulation is subsequently cooled under controlled conditions.

Poor hydration can lead to inconsistent performance even when the dosage appears to be correct.

Why a Plant-Based Milk Can Still Separate

If a plant-based milk separates despite containing gellan gum, simply adding more gellan gum may not solve the problem.

Possible causes include:

• Incorrect gellan gum type

• Insufficient hydration

• Inappropriate concentration

• High or low mineral content

• Protein interactions

• Unsuitable pH

• Poor mixing

• Processing conditions

• Particle size

• Other stabilizers in the formulation

The problem should be identified before increasing the dosage.

Too Much Gellan Gum Can Also Be a Problem

More stabilizer does not always mean a better beverage.

Too much gellan gum can create:

• Excessive viscosity

• An overly structured mouthfeel

• Unwanted gel formation

• Poor pourability

• An unnatural drinking experience

For plant-based milk, the goal is usually a balance between stability and drinkability.

A Practical Development Method

A simple development trial can start with several gellan gum concentrations.

For example:

0.01%
0.02%
0.03%
0.05%

Keep the other ingredients and processing conditions the same.

Then compare the samples for:

• Sedimentation

• Separation

• Creaming

• Viscosity

• Mouthfeel

• Appearance

• Stability during storage

Once a suitable concentration range has been identified, other variables such as pH, calcium and processing conditions can be optimized.

Gellan Gum Is Only One Part of the System

A stable plant-based milk rarely depends on one ingredient alone.

Gellan gum may work together with:

• Plant proteins

• Emulsifiers

• Other hydrocolloids

• Minerals

• Oils

• Sugars

• Processing conditions

The final performance comes from the complete formulation.

This is why replacing or removing another stabilizer can sometimes change the behavior of gellan gum even when its concentration remains unchanged.

Final Takeaway

Gellan gum can be useful in plant-based milk because it can provide a weak internal network that helps keep dispersed ingredients more evenly distributed.

High acyl gellan gum can be useful when a softer and more elastic structure is desired.

However, the correct type and dosage depend on the specific plant-based beverage.

Protein type, pH, calcium, minerals, hydration and processing conditions can all influence the result.

The best formulation is usually found through controlled trials rather than by relying on a single standard dosage.

The next question is how gellan gum behaves in clear beverages, where transparency and suspension can be especially important.