Replacing Trans—With an Eye on Saturates

This change in the supply chain also leads to higher costs. “The initial cost of newly introduced products will always be at a premium to the oil products they replace,” says Richard Galloway, president, Galloway & Associates, Isle of Palms, SC, consultant to the United Soybean Board and Qualisoy.

But the new oils pose their share of benefits to operators. Low-linolenic soybean oils are characterized by longer shelf life and extended fryer life compared to conventional soybean oils. They also have zero trans fats or are trans-fat-free, as well as lower to no saturated fats.

DIFFICULT BAKERY DECISIONS

The transition to healthier oils has proven more difficult for bakery goods than for deep-fried foods. “Unlike frying, baked goods require a lot more science as far as making sure they’re trans-fat-free and maintain the same taste and texture,” says Hemauer.

“Baking applications remain a challenge in satisfying a familiar mouthfeel,” adds Bill McCullough, director of marketing, Bunge Oils, St. Louis.

Research has shown that increasing a soybean oil’s stearic acid content to at least 25% yields a plastic fat—a necessary component of pie crusts, biscuits, cakes, many breads and most cookies. A new, currently available, high-stearic soybean oil reportedly has high stability for margarine applications and some bakery and confection applications.

According to the American Palm Oil Council, Torrence, CA, palm oil—and its solid fraction, palm stearin—are recommended for use in shortening and baking formulations to replace trans fats. Shortening and margarine created with palm oil or palm stearin can also deliver functionality comparable to partially hydrogenated oils. One common approach to creating trans-free margarine and shortening is to use palm oil or stearin in a blended formulation with soybean, canola, sunflower and/or cottonseed to gain the nutritional benefits of those oils.

Another solution for trans-free baking is interesterified shortenings and oils. Interesterification technologies allow customization on the molecular level by rearranging the fatty acids from a blend of oils. Suppliers can take high-melting-temperature fats and blend them with oils to create a product with plasticity and lower saturated-fat content. However, the functionality and melting profiles of these blends can prohibit their use in certain applications.

FIT TO BE FRIED

Frying oils need a high smoke point, light color and a bland flavor, and, especially for deep-frying applications, oxidative stability and a resistance to breakdown under frying temperatures. In addition, the type and use of the product comes into play. Effective deep-frying oils with infrequent changeover need high tolerance for abuse. Frying battered items is generally harder on an oil than just making fries.

Desirable characteristics are generally imparted by hydrogenation or decreasing levels of the unstable double bonds in the fatty acids. For no-trans oils, that means oils that provide low-linolenic (low-lin) and/or high-oleic fatty acids, often combined with low levels of saturates. Standard frying oils vary in composition, but the most-stable ones come from new, specialty oilseeds.