Published on: March 1, 2020
Choosing the optimal fat is key to developing a delicious doughnut. Options include shortenings that help keep the doughnut from drying out too quickly, improve the mouthfeel, and produce stable icings. © Piotr Krzeslak/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Today’s fats and oils ingredients category continues to evolve. In recent years, the food industry undertook a large reformulation effort after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in June 2015 announced that partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) would lose their generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status. With a requirement to remove PHOs from the food supply by June 2018, manufacturers of fats and oils worked with food developers and foodservice operators to find the optimal alternatives to PHOs that provided acceptable function and nutrition. All involved met the challenge.
Now food manufacturers are addressing the needs of their health-focused consumers who want plant-based products, such as vegan cheese and meat alternatives, or food products that offer nutrient benefits that go beyond the standards, such as protein-fortified bars and bakery and confections with healthier fats. Of course, there are challenges to formulating these kinds of products, too. Read on to learn more about recent ingredient developments in the fats and oils category that offer the functionalities that manufacturers need to successfully launch these types of products and more.
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