The yin and yang of emulsifiers

Replacement of trans fats entails extensive evaluation of the processing and handling implications, and the reformulation exercise requires evaluation of shelf life and eating quality characteristics of the finished product.

One of the most difficult aspects of reformulating without trans fats is the identification of ingredients that will cream and aerate like hydrogenated fats and provide structure and body to the finished products. Aeration and creaming , processing functionalities commonly associated with solid or semi-solid fats , are not easily duplicated with liquid fats. Although emulsifiers can help create some of these properties, they cannot replace other essential aspects such as their nutritional contributions and other functionalities , prompting a serious exploration of the emulsification properties of nutritious oils such as flaxseed and macadamia nut oil.

Danish company Danisco recently launched mixtures of emulsifiers with mixtures of non-hydrogenated oil that supposedly offer the same properties as a partially hydrogenated shortening in several food systems. According to David Kappelman, Bakery Technical Manager at Danisco, these mixtures can effectively help create the textural properties that consumers have come to expect in baked goods.

SIDEBAR:

Designer oils with built-in emulsifiers

Researchers at Monsanto Co., St. Louis (www.monsanto.com), are applying conventional breeding and biotechnology techniques to develop soybeans that will produce oil containing less trans and saturated fats. "Monsanto is exploring ways to enhance soybeans so they are healthier and, also have built-in functionalities that are valued by food processors," according to David Stark, vice president of technical affairs.

Monsanto's breeding techniques have produced a soybean low in linolenic acid, so the resulting oil would have a lower need for hydrogenation and presumably a lower need for emulsifiers. That would reduce and possibly eliminate trans fats in many foods.

This product is being geared up to meet the federal government's 2006 labeling guidelines for trans fat in food products. It's expected to receive a particularly warm reception from fried snack manufacturers, such as Frito-Lay.

SIDEBAR:

Novel emulsifers in the pipeline