Carbohydrates as Fat Replacers

Psyllium: a useful functional ingredient in food systems

Psyllium gum is a hydrocolloid found in the husk of seeds from Plantago ovata. Psyllium husk has been used in traditional medicine in areas of India and China. Its consumption has been shown to provide nutritional benefits, such as the capacity to reduce the glycaemic index, to minimize the risk of cardiovascular diseases, to decrease cholesterol and constipation problems and others. Thus, interest in the incorporation of psyllium in food products is twofold. First, it can be a natural alternative to the use of other gums and hydrocolloids considered additives. Second, it can be used to improve the nutritional properties of products in which it is incorporated. However, for this purpose, it is necessary to add great quantities of psyllium. This review analyses the potential use of psyllium in distinct food products, considering its advantages and inconveniences as well as possible solutions for undesired effects. Among the analyzed products there are bakery products and, in particular, gluten-free breads where psyllium has been used as a gluten substitute. The incorporation of psyllium into dairy products such as yogurts and those derived from fruits, among others, is also addressed.

A Cluster Project Approach to Develop New Functional Dairy Products from Sheep and Goat Milk

The growing scientific interest in the role of food in promoting human health and wellbeing has profoundly influenced consumers’ perceptions and attitudes towards nutrition, leading to the advent of a new class of foods, called functional foods, which are currently one of the fastest growing food-producing sectors, particularly in the dairy industry. The cluster project “Diversification in sheep & goat Sardinian dairy production” was built and carried out, based on requests from ten Sardinian dairy companies, to plan and implement experimental protocols directed to develop new production processes, according to the latest health and nutritional guidelines. Consequently, the following different interconnected research lines were developed: lactose-free dairy products; low-fat dairy products; dairy products enriched with added functional ingredients. The studied processes were based on the modification of cheese milk or whey, through the elimination of or reduction in one or more components with negative health effects or by adding functional ingredients. Therefore, a total of six different dairy products were developed: two from sheep milk and whey and four from goat milk. The technological processes adopted were typically those of Ricotta, fresh and soft cheeses. Contextually, their adaptability to the industrial equipment available in the cluster dairy companies was verified, and most of them were successfully transferred. These novel dairy products meet the current market demand, which shows a greater interest in fresh and short-ripened dairy products, with a low energy intake and high nutritional value. Moreover, can represent an example of the diversification in the sheep and goat dairy sector.

Interactions between beef salt-soluble proteins and elephant foot yam (Amorphophallus campanulatus) flour in heat-induced gel matrix development

The objective of this study was to observe the interactions between salt-soluble proteins extracted from beef and elephant foot yam (Amorphophallus campanulatus) flour in heat-induced gel matrix development. The effect of salt concentration; 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, and 2.0% in weight/weight basis (w/w), during protein extraction on pH, salt-soluble protein concentration and myofibril fractions of beef extract was determined firstly, and no significant effect was found. The beef salt-soluble proteins extracted using salt solution at different concentrations were then added with elephant foot yam flour at 5%, 10%, and 15% w/w, gelatinized at 90°C for 20 min, and cooled down at 4°C for 12 h. The interactions between beef salt-soluble proteins and elephant foot yam flour resulted in an improved gel strength (p < 0.01) and the addition level of elephant foot yam flour affected the pH, instrumental color, moisture, crude protein, and ash content significantly. The addition of elephant foot yam flour also reduced the size of the pores in the gel matrix as shown by scanning electron microscope (SEM) photographs. These suggest that elephant foot yam flour well interacts with beef salt-soluble proteins to form gel matrix.

Use of Raw and Physically Modified Rice Starches as Fat Replacer in Whipping Cream

Raw, retrograded and retrograded-annealed starches obtained in a previous novel study from three rice varieties widely differing in apparent amylose content (22.7%, 9.8% and 0.3%) were applied for partially replacing fat in fresh cream to prepare to the consistency of whipping cream with approximately 15% final fat concentration. Properties of the whipped creams were studied and compared with a commercial whipping cream taken as standard. Differences between the mean values were assessed by Duncan’s multiple range tests at a significance level of 95%. Fat replacement resulted in whipping time as low as 60 seconds and improved foam stability of the whipped creams with significant overrun (up to 44%), suggesting industrial applicability of the starch samples as fat replacers. Incorporated starch resulted in better water retention and structural stability lower weeping out of liquid upon freezing and thawing. Modified waxy starch substitution resulted in cream texture closest to the commercial cream standard, suggesting efficient fat replacement. Thereby, starch incorporated whipping cream with more than 62% lower fat content than commercial variants could be obtained. This would thereby help in lower glycemic index, low calorie and lower priced alternative to common fat-rich whipping creams.

The combined effects of different fat replacers and rennet casein on the properties of reduced-fat processed cheese

Reduced-fat food products can help to prevent obesity and other diet-related diseases. However, the removal of fat often impairs the sensory and textural properties of foods, leading to low consumer acceptance. In this study, we tested various concentrations of fat replacers (inulin, corn dextrin, polydextrose, and microparticulated whey protein) combined with rennet casein to investigate their effects on the melting behavior, dynamic rheological properties, and hardness of reduced-fat processed cheese. We found that increasing concentrations of inulin and corn dextrin reduced the flowability of cheese in the melting test and can thus be used to inhibit flow during heating. Microparticulated whey protein did not affect flowability but caused an increase in the storage and loss moduli as well as the temperature at gel-sol transition. A similar effect was also shown for rennet casein, whereas inulin and polydextrose had little or no effect on these rheological parameters. Corn dextrin had no effect on the storage and loss moduli, but affected the gel-sol transition temperature. No changes in hardness were detected for any concentration of the fat replacers, but increasing the rennet casein content also increased the hardness of the samples, regardless of the fat replacer used. Our results indicate the different concentrations and combinations of fat replacers and rennet casein that can be included in reduced-fat processed cheese to develop products with specific rheological properties, thus meeting future demand for reduced-fat products with attractive sensory attributes.

Use of starch-based fat replacers in foods as a strategy to reduce dietary intake of fat and risk of metabolic diseases

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has emerged as one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Elevated blood cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein levels are crucial risk factors that contribute to the development of CVD and other metabolic diseases. Dietary fat is believed to be the key factor in modulating circulating cholesterol levels. Thus, reducing dietary intake of fat appears to be an effective strategy to reduce the risk of heart disease. Also, excessive intake of fat and high-calorie foods is also related to the development of obesity, which contributes to the development of CVD. Therefore, the consumption of low-fat low-calorie foods is part of a healthier dietary pattern. However, simply removing fat from foods may lead to compromised overall quality and reduced acceptance of the food products. Thus, fat replacers have emerged as ideal alternatives to dietary fat, which can not only reduce the overall fat and calorie content of the foods but also mimic the physiochemical properties of dietary fat. Starch-based fat replacers are one kind of fat mimetic that can be produced either chemically as modified starch or enzymatically as maltodextrins. Both modified starch and maltodextrins have been demonstrated to have a promising ability to improve the overall quality of reduced-fat foods. Modified starch granules act directly as fat globules in modulating the structure and sensory characteristics of the foods, whereas maltodextrins can form thermoreversible gels. Both modified starch granules and maltodextrins can create a fat-like mouthfeel and therefore are potential fat replacers. This review article aims to discuss the following topics: (a) the effect of carbohydrates and fat on human cardiovascular health and other disease risks, (b) the functionality of starch-based fat replacers in foods, (c) the applications of starch-based fat replacers in various foods, and (d) the current and future market value of starch-based fat replacers.

Use of molecular interactions and mesoscopic scale transitions to modulate protein-polysaccharide structures

Mixed protein-polysaccharide structures have found widespread applications in various fields, such as in foods, pharmaceuticals or personal care products. A better understanding and a more precise control over the molecular interactions between the two types of macromolecules leading to an engineering of nanoscale and colloidal building blocks have fueled the design of novel structures with improved functional properties. However, these building blocks often do not constitute the final matrix. Rather, further process operations are used to transform the initially formed structural entities into bulk matrices. Systematic knowledge on the relation between molecular structure design and subsequent mesoscopic scale transitions induced by processing is scarce. This article aims at establishing a connection between these two approaches. Therefore, it reviews not only studies on the underlying molecular interaction phenomena leading to either a segregative or associative phase behavior and nanoscale or colloidal structures, but also looks at the less systematically studied approach of using macroscopic processing operations such as shearing, heating, crosslinking, and concentrating/drying to transform the initially generated structures into bulk matrices. Thereby, a more comprehensive look is taken at the relationship between different influencing factors, namely solvent conditions (i.e. pH, ionic strength), biopolymer characteristics (i.e. type, charge density, mixing ratio, biopolymer concentration), and processing parameters (i.e. temperature, mechanical stresses, pressure) to generate bulk protein-polysaccharide matrices with different morphological features. The need for a combinatorial approach is then demonstrated by reviewing in detail current mixed protein-polysaccharide applications that increasingly make use of this. In the process, open scientific questions that will need to be addressed in the future are highlighted.

Effect of partial replacement of fat with added water and tragacanth gum (Astragalus gossypinus and Astragalus compactus) on the physicochemical, texture, oxidative stability, and sensory property of reduced fat emulsion type sausage

This study aimed to investigate the effect of partial fat replacement with two species of gum tragacanth (Astragalus gossypinus and Astragalus compactus) on physicochemical, textural, oxidative stability, and acceptability of reduced fat emulsion type sausages. Increasing the concentration of both gums to 1%, minimized extractable fat and cook loss. A. gossypinus at the concentration of 1% was the most effective in retardation of TBARS formation in sausages (p < 0.05). Reduced-fat sausages with 1% A. gossypinus showed the lowest carbonyls at the end of storage (28 days) (p < 0.05). Sausages with 1% A. gossypinus or A. compactus showed the lowest shear force (~6 and ~7 N respectively) and hardness (~21 N/cm²) among all treatments (p < 0.05). The results suggested that A. gossypinus (1%) enhanced oxidative stability and textural properties. Addition of 0.5% A. gossypinus showed an acceptable sensory score of the sausage formulation and as a potential fat replacer in the reduced fat sausages.