Baking&Snack - October 2012 - 62

BAKERY SHORTENINGS

Liquid oils, hard fats
Here’s the problem: The fatty acids that pose the most health concerns are the same ones responsible for giving shortening its structure and baked foods their desirable soft crumb texture. Liquid oils require hard fats to work as bakery shortenings. Palm can do the job and carries no harmful trans fats. Some formulators, however, need a non-palm alternative. That’s when emulsifier technology provides Pastry margarines and roll-in fats require a an answer. smooth semisolid texture for the best perforExploring this situation, Caravan mance in croissants and laminated pastries. Ingredients, Lenexa, KS, took a different look at emulsifiers. “Traditionally, emulsifiers have been used to increase volume, prolong softness and impart a finer, more consistent crumb in baked foods, said Steven Baker, a scientist at Caravan’s Innovation ” Center. “By adjusting the ratio of mono-, di- and triglycerides in a given emulsifier, we are able to create an oil structuring agent. ” That’s how the company developed Trancendim, which acts more like a hard fat than an emulsifier. In shortenings and margarines, it replaces the solids formerly derived from hydrogenated oils or, more recently, tropical oils, explained James N. Anderson, sales manager for Caravan Trancendim Solutions. It also allows use of domestic soy and canola oils and supports a clean ingredient declaration. Caravan Ingredients can refer bakers to oil processors using Trancendim to make healthyprofile shortenings. The Grindsted Crystallizer line of specialty emulsifiers from DuPont Nutrition and Health, New Century, KS, answers quality problems that can affect preparation of trans-free shortenings. “Trans-free oils may have a slower rate of crystallization than conventional blends, said ” John Neddersen, the company’s senior application scientist, fats and oils, emulsifiers. Throughput slows, adding to manufacturing costs. Shortenings may become prone to post crystallization, leading to excessive hardening and potential quality problems that affect bakery product quality. Shortenings made with a Crystallizer emulsifier improve the crumb stability and appearance of cakes. In laminated products, they can increase plasticity of pastry margarines and facilitate dough lamination. Trans-fat-free cookie fillings are another application. Shortening supplier Ventura Foods, Brea, CA, turned to selected emulsifiers as the foundation for its Ntrans low-saturate, all-purpose shortening. “Historically, emulsifiers have complemented the functional application of fats and oils, explained David Hughes, senior project manager, ” technical services, Ventura Foods. Patented blending and crystallization techniques produce the company’s new shortening, eliminating the need for tropical oils and resulting in a relatively lower saturate content. “The difference between Ntrans and a typical palm oil shortening is a saturate level of 27% vs. 50%, respectively, Mr. Hughes said. “This ” reduction level shows up on even the smallest of food product serving sizes. ”

technical service manager, Cargill, Sidney, OH. But health needs raise the bar for bakery shortenings. “Swapping partially hydrogenated oils with trans-fat-free and lower-saturatedfat products allows healthier baked foods so consumers can have their cake and eat it, too, so to speak,” said Cory McArthur, vice-president of market development, Canola Council of Canada, Winnipeg, MT. Such interests led Stratas Foods to its “Functional Nutrition” approach encompassing bakery manufacturing needs and healthy formulating priorities. Roger Daniels, vicepresident, R&D and innovation, Stratas Foods, Memphis, TN, explained, “Today’s bakery shortenings are required to contribute the desired attributes to finished products while maximizing levels of monoand polyunsaturated fatty acids and minimizing saturated fatty acids.” Consumers hold conflicting desires for great taste and healthy ingredients. “When consumers buy a baked food, they are looking for a decadent treat,” said Donald Appleby, marketing manager, P&G Food Ingredients, Cincinnati, OH. “But they know that great taste comes with a price that can lead, over the long run, to weight gain and other health problems.” Such awareness is beginning to change consumer behavior, he said, making it important that bakers offer low-calorie baked foods that taste just as delicious as their full-fat counterparts.

… and baking it, too
To drive out trans fats, reduce saturates and take hydrogenation off the label, oil processors altered the composition of bakery shortenings. “But doing so affects functionality,” Mr. Nakhasi said. “We have to provide the right characteristics. For example, when making croissants, a change in solid fat is reflected immediately in the function of the product.”

/ Baking & Snack / October 2012

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Baking&Snack - October 2012

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