Fats & Oils

Trans fat is the not-so-silent killer (still) in a wide range of foods, raising people’s low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad”) cholesterol, with excessive consumption possibly leading to a host of negative health conditions, such as coronary heart disease. Most trans fats consumed today are created by partially hydrogenating plant oils to make them more stable. Saturated fatty acids are also ...

Feta cheese salads, gyros, baklava and triangles of spanakopita are the items most people in the United States associate with Greek food. But not one of these items has anything to do with what this country is currently experiencing: a Greek revival! Traditional foods from different regions of Greece today are served at a slew of Greek restaurants, including QSR ...

In the days of the Roman Empire, sauces often disguised the flavor of subpar—and sometimes spoiled—meats, poultry and seafood. Of course, the food industry has come a long way since then. Today’s sauces not only accent the flavor of various proteins, but they add considerable interest overall, often helping sway indecisive diners.“Sauces can help sell an item,” says John Radcliff, ...

When Barilla cast a broad look at the entire U.S. marketplace to determine which consumer demographics to target for a new line of “reinvented” pasta, it scanned the expanse, then looked downward—and saw children. That’s because the largest consumer group purchasing the classic blue box of Barilla pasta at retail was parents.“People who really cook at home tend to be ...

Like people, some ingredients work harder than others. The quest for greater productivity and cost efficiency in manufacturing has R&D reaching for truly multifunctional ingredients—those that can replace more than one ingredient in a formula while improving functionality, flavor and/or nutrition.STRONG PERFORMERSGums, starches and fibers are common multi-taskers in today’s foods. In a soup or sauce, a gum often replaces ...