The saturated fats, found in animal-derived foods such as butter, cheese, and fatty meat, as well as in vegetable oils like coconut and palm oil, are known to raise levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol (LDL), increasing cardiovascular risk. However, their properties have long made them essential in the industrial baked goods industry. In an innovative initiative, a team of scientists has found an effective alternative to these fats.
The Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA), a center of the CSIC, under the coordination of Dr. Ana Salvador and Dr. Teresa Sanz, has successfully replaced solid fats with oleogels in the production of croissants and other bakery and confectionery products such as chocolates and chocolate spreads. These oleogels, or oil gels, have been formulated using various types of sunflower and olive oils, along with different food hydrocolloids or emulsifiers, achieving textures that mimic the plasticity of solid fats.
Among the most notable advantages of this innovation are the food thickeners used, such as xanthan gum or cellulose derivatives, which ensure food safety unlike other oleogels with less safe structuring additives. In addition, the manufacturing method does not require high temperatures, making it easier to transfer to the food industry and making it an environmentally friendly process.
The structure and sensory properties of the final product are very similar to conventional food, but with a healthier lipid profile. This finding opens up new possibilities for the food industry in creating healthier bakery and confectionery products, without sacrificing the techno-functional and sensory properties that consumers expect.
The authors of the study point out that their discoveries are crucial for designing new foods and ingredients and have great potential in the food industry. The innovation could be applied to puff pastry, chocolate substitutes, cookies, and chocolate spreads, among other products that require a solid fat at room temperature during their production.
In particular, the replacement of fats in croissants is especially notable, as these products require highly plastic fats capable of forming layers without melting, which is essential in achieving the characteristic laminar structure of puff pastry.
This study was carried out within the framework of a national project that also involved the participation of Dr. Isabel Hernando and Dr. Amparo Quiles from the Microstructure and Food Chemistry Group of the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV).
Source: MiMub in Spanish
