Palsgaard presented Palsgaard® PowderGel 6800, a powder alternative to conventional cake gel, at Gulfood Manufacturing in Dubai on 3–5 November 2026 together with its distribution partner ATOM.
Food Business Gulf & Middle East spoke with Arne Nielsen, Area Sales Manager East & South Africa in Palsgaard’s MEA team, to learn about the feedback and interest from industrial bakeries at the show.
How did visitors respond to Palsgaard® PowderGel 6800?
“Better than I had hoped. We ran simple live demonstrations at the stand, mixing the powder with water at room temperature. Within minutes, visitors could see a ready-to-use cake gel. That made the concept easy to understand and led straight into practical discussions about their own production.”
Was there anything that surprised you?
“How quickly the conversations moved to trials. At most shows, customers ask for a small laboratory sample. Here, several asked for larger quantities to test at full production scale. That tells me they see it as something they can put to work, not just something to evaluate.”
What were bakeries most interested in?
“Flexibility. On lines with planetary mixers, the gel can be prepared at the start of the production day. On highly automated lines with aerators, the powder can go straight into the recipe with the other dry ingredients. The composition also mattered a lot. When it is made into a gel, you only add water, with no added solvents such as propylene glycol. The product is also halal and kosher certified. As retailers in the region focus more on simpler ingredient declarations, that is becoming an important point.”
Do you see needs that are specific to the region?
“Many bakery groups here produce in several countries, and getting the same performance from locally sourced cake gels can be difficult. With one product, they can standardise across markets such as the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and South Africa. Logistics matter too. Because the water is added locally, you transport and store powder rather than gel. That means less volume to move, and recyclable cartons instead of buckets.”
What potential do you see for Palsgaard® PowderGel 6800 in MEA?
“Significant. Several manufacturers we met are already looking at how it could simplify their operations. Moving from gel to powder is a practical change, and that is exactly why it resonates.”
For more information, visit https://www.palsgaard.com/en/
