Versatile shortenings for a trans-free world

Talbot G., Smith K., Velds P., Slager H., Versatile shortenings for a trans-free world, 2009, February

One of the great virtues of hydrogenated fats was that they made excellent pastry, biscuit and cake shortenings. The problem with such fats is their trans fatty acid content and both oils and fats processors and bakery manufacturers have been looking for non-hydrogenated alternatives. This article looks at Loders Croklaan’s palm oil-based shortenings as non-hydrogenated alternatives to traditional trans-containing fats. Indeed Loders Croklaan is introducing new trans-free shortenings under the brand names Biscuitine™ in Europe and SansTrans™ in the US. The company has funded research into how these fats perform in bakery with The University of Reading in the UK and this article summarises this research and how it applies to bakery shortenings.