Marzipan is a popular ingredient during the Christmas season, but for the food industry it is an expensive raw material. Therefore, manufacturers:inside sometimes resort to a cheaper alternative. But there is no alternative for playing https://slothandofanubis.com.
Pure, as marzipan potatoes, coated in chocolate or as an ingredient in dominoes, stollen and cookies – the typical Christmas sweets are hardly conceivable without marzipan. The main component of this delicious ingredient is almonds. But it is precisely these that have a high price, making marzipan an expensive product. The food industry therefore sometimes uses an alternative ingredient. This is very similar to marzipan in taste and consistency, but has a much lower price: it is persipan.
MARZIPAN VS. PERSIPAN
Marzipan consists mainly of almonds and sugar. For the so-called marzipan raw mass, the almonds are peeled, crushed and mixed with sugar. According to legal requirements, this raw mass must consist of at least 48 percent almonds and may have a maximum sugar content of 35 percent. The raw mass is then processed further. Manufacturers often add more sugar and possibly alcohol and spices. Fine marzipan must consist of at least 70 percent raw paste. For simple marzipan, the minimum is 50 percent.
By using less raw material and more sugar, companies can lower the production price somewhat. Costs are even lower if persipan is used instead of marzipan. According to the Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (LAVES), persipan does not contain almonds at all, but apricot or peach kernels.
Persipan tastes similar to marzipan, but has an even stronger flavor. The fact that it is so cheap is no longer necessarily due to the apricot kernels. Although these used to be a cheap raw material, they have now become more expensive due to rising demand, as the Federal Center for Nutrition (BfE) explains. What makes persipan so cheap is the fact that it is allowed to contain more sugar. This is because, according to the BfE, no more than half of marzipan may consist of sugar. The raw mass makes up the other half. Persipan, however, may contain one and a half times as much sugar as raw mass.
From a nutritional point of view, persipan therefore comes off worse than marzipan – although of course marzipan should hardly be regarded as “healthy” either. Both persipan and marzipan are (raw materials for) sweets that are best enjoyed in moderation.
SUSTAINABILITY AND LABELING
Persipan, unlike marzipan, has some environmental advantages. Ecologically, persipan has some advantages in contrast to marzipan. According to National Geographic, almonds often come from California and are transported long distances to Germany. In addition, almonds consume large amounts of water during cultivation.
Apricot or peach kernels, on the other hand, which are used in persipan, fall off as waste products during harvesting. If the fruit is also grown in the region, persipan has a much better eco-balance overall.
You can find out whether manufacturers have used persipan or marzipan for a product by looking at the list of ingredients. The rule is: the further ahead the sugar is listed, the higher the sugar content in the overall product.
By the way, for certain products, such as “Feinste Dominosteine”, manufacturers must use marzipan. Simple or only “fine” dominoes, on the other hand, may also contain persipan. These also stipulate that for products that normally contain marzipan, it must be clearly evident if persipan was used instead. Baked goods must then be marked on the packaging with instructions such as “with persipan.” Incidentally, this also applies to baked goods sold loose, for example at the Christmas market