Baking & Snack - September 2020 - 44

FATS & OILS

IN THE MOVE AWAY FROM PHOS,
FATS, OILS AND SHORTENINGS
HAVE COME A LONG WAY IN TERMS
OF FUNCTIONALITY. FORMULATORS
CAN NOW DIAL IN TO TARGET
BAKERS' SPECIFIC NEEDS.

application-specific ingredient helps deliver the most
optimal texture, structure and taste.
"Customized fat systems allow formulators to produce
products with improved quality and eating experience,"
said Jayme Caruso, chief commercial officer, Epogee
LLC. "By using fats with specific functions, manufacturers can tailor their products to very specific consumer
demands and desires. This allows for a greater degree of
differentiation in an already crowded market space."
Mark Stavro, senior director of marketing, Bunge
Loders Croklaan, offered this example to illustrate how
a product-specific ingredient can elevate.
"While an all-purpose shortening can make a good
traditional icing, Vream Elite for Icings is a specialized
icing shortening necessary to create a more premium,
highly aerated and stable icing that holds up superbly
over shelf life," he said.
Bakers today have a bounty of fats and oils to mix
and match to create a custom option. High-oleic oils, interesterified oils and the wealth of sources can zero-in
on specific functionalities bakers are looking for. With
the technology and sources available today, bakers can
take advantage.
"There is no reason to settle for less than optimum
solutions," Mr. Flider said. "The only reason to use an
all-purpose shortening over a tailored fat system is when
it's the best available solution for your product. However,
all-purpose should never be one where you have to
'settle' but represents the best available solution for your
particular needs. Only then should an all-purpose solution be chosen over a tailored solution."

Optimized functionality
Bakery applications like bread and rolls don't rely too
heavily on fat, but other applications need sugar and fat
for their structure and taste. Cookies, donuts, cakes, icing
and even tortillas all depend on fat but in different ways,
which is where tailored shortenings come into play.
"In cookies, fat systems provide tenderness, lubrication, aeration and more, whereas in an icing, creamy
taste, spreadability, aeration and pleasant taste are
more important," Dr. Ankolekar said. "These properties
are directly influenced by the solid fat index and crystal structure of the fat. The spectrum of specialization
also might vary depending on the type of product under consideration."
While a fat is solid and an oil is liquid at room temperature, a shortening or margarine blends fats and oils
and crystallizes to achieve specific functionality. At its
heart, shortening or margarine tenderizes the dough.
Fats, oils and shortenings contribute flavor, texture and mouthfeel in different
ways for different applications.
Qualisoy

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Baking & Snack - September 2020

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