Fat Replacers

One of the big challenges facing the food industry is that of reducing the fat content in foods without diminishing their taste and salability. One food industry survey in the early 1990s revealed that fat- and calorie-reduction was the leading research and development priority for 76 percent of food processors. Cutting back on fat content also affects important functional properties - appearance, texture, flavor, mouthfeel, handling, preparation, and storage stability. Although dietary fat consistently ranks at the top of consumer nutrition concerns, food engineers become exasperated when consumers demand low-fat foods but simultaneously value taste above nutrition when it comes to selecting food products. Nevertheless, approximately 10-15 percent of all new food products are labeled “reduced in fat”.

The number of fat replacers and their usage continues to increase as the food industry tries to meet the consumer demand for better-tasting low-fat food items. Processed foods that currently incorporate fat replacers include dairy products such as cheese, sour cream, butter, and margarine; meat products such as sausages and hamburgers; frozen desserts, including ice cream and yogurt; baked goods such as cakes, biscuits, and muffins; and frostings, sauces, and gravies.

Types of Fat Replacers

There is no official classification of fat replacers or standardization in how they are named. “Fat substitute” was often used interchangeably with “fat replacer”, however, “replacer” is a more general term describing any ingredient used to replace fat that can include substitutes, mimetics (imitators), and extenders. Substitutes physically resemble fats are often lipid-based, and usually replace the fat in foods on a one-to-one basis to duplicate the functional properties of fat. Fat mimetics are water-soluble, often protein- or carbohydrate-based, and imitate the mouthfeel of fat, which makes them useful in improving the texture of low-fat foods, especially cheeses. They do not, however, replace fat by weight, as do the fat-soluble substitutes and extenders.

Several substances have been proposed as possible fat replacers - synthetic fats, microparticulated proteins, starch, fiber, and even dried fruit puree - and research continues on these. Fat replacers, regardless of their name, can also be grouped according to whether their chemical structure is carbohydrate-, protein-, or lipid-based.